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Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing in response to the call for evidence on ways of reducing plastic waste in Jersey posted by the States of Jersey on the 8th August 2018.
In response to the questions raised my views are as follows:
* I feel that recycling is reasonable but limited in some areas. In particular, only plastic bottles are stated as being accepted at recycling points, rather than a system that is based on the type of plastic rather than the type of container. The fact that there is no facility to recycle materials on the island is also a concern. I also feel that parish collection information could be a lot clearer. We live in the parish of St Lawrence and cannot find a clear publication of when the recycling is collected so resort to taking it to recycling points by car. While pre-sorting recycling is something that we already do I can very easily see that it could affect other peoples willingness to recycling. Maybe this is something that needs to be investigating.
* Following on from my above comments I think that recycling collection times could be made clearer and the range of recycling options widened as a way of reducing waste on the island. In an effort to make improvements and reduce the current levels of waste I believe that a focus needs to be placed on reducing the amount of waste created by retailers and suppliers and more
support given to companies that provide zero or low waste alternatives to consumers. For example, much of the local produce labeled as a genuine Jersey product is generally highly over packaged. Companies such as the co-op and genuine Jersey clearly work closely with the local suppliers so they would be ideally placed to work with them to find alternative sustainable solutions. I believe that the pricing of loose products also needs to be addressed. Within the last two month, I found that the cost of buying local peppers was half the price if I brought them pre-packed as opposed to loose. This needs to addressed if consumers are expected to choose the waste-free option. I also think that support should be given to companies that aim to provide zero free shopping options to the island as they are a benefit. I notice that Jersey Milk's cartons are not recyclable and wondered why on such a small island a returnable glass bottle scheme could not be created. If the delivery and return scheme could be created for fresh food not only could it assist in reducing waste but potentially reduce some of the traffic on our over the congested road. I believe that the reduction of waste is
incredibly important from an environmental point of view but it also reduces the cost to the ratepayer for the collection and disposal of waste.
*In response to your last question, I am not writing on behalf of a business but I have attempted to improve recycling in the office for the company I am employed by. I have found this incredibly difficult as there does not appear to be any dedicated companies advertising recycling services and the companies I have been in touch with are unresponsive, including the company currently employed to clean the office. I am unsure of why there is so little interest in providing this service. Possibly a solution would be to give incentives to make it more attractive or for the states waste collection service to start offering a commercial recycling service.
Yours faithfully
Lucy Le Moignan - De Pina