A PUBLIC-PRIVATE partnership will allow green waste to continue to be dumped in skips at Martel’s Garden World. Public Services has come to an arrangement with Skipco and islanders will pay 50p for each bag of rubbish they dispose of.
The recycling facility had become a victim of its own success and the department had announced it could be scrapped due to £30,000 a year running costs.
Martel’s manager Chris Padgham, who has collected 2,000 signatures on a petition in support of keeping it, said he was delighted with the result.
‘I think public pressure has done the job and I’m very pleased that Public Services listened to what islanders wanted,’ he said.
‘There was a comments section on the petition and many people said that they would be happy to pay for using the skips here.
‘Even with the charge, they will still be saving money by not having to do the 15-mile round trip to Mont Cuet.’
An honesty box system will operate for the time being until the garden centre becomes busier around March, said Mr Padgham.
The charge will pay for a Skipco staff member to oversee the use of the skips and to take the waste for disposal. Public Services will not charge for that.
The recycling scheme had been operating for the past 18 months and 727 tonnes of green waste had been dumped there in the last six months.
Mr Padgham said he had been surprised by the amount of public support.
‘I thought I might have got a few hundred signatures on the petition, but 2,000 is a phenomenal number considering our catchment area is only about 10,000,’ he said.
‘With the price of petrol increasing, it is the cheaper option and it also keeps the traffic off the roads.’
Public Services minister Bill Bell said the public had wanted the skips to remain and a public-private partnership was the best way of achieving that.
‘Martel’s and Skipco are effectively running it themselves and it means that the department can use its money for something else, which is ideal,’ he said.
‘If you want to provide enterprises like this one, then you have to be prepared to cover your costs.
‘We had a lot of indicators that people would be prepared to pay a small charge and if they don’t have to drive to Mont Cuet they will save themselves some money.’
The potential now existed for other garden centres to enter into similar partnerships, added Deputy Bell.
‘We welcome anyone who wants to discuss with us any proposals along these lines,’ he said.
Loading ...
Share this article:
What are these?