A BOOST for household recycling in the first three months of the year has given Mont Cuet another six months of life. Public Services minister Deputy Bill Bell welcomed the drop in the amount of material entering the site, but warned against complacency.

‘The site has just passed the halfway-full mark and we estimate that it will be full by April 2014, which is about six months later than we forecasted last year.

‘But it still has a limited life and we, as a community, need to do everything we can to divert waste through the recycling schemes.’

Between January and the end of March islanders diverted nearly 1,300 tonnes of items including cans, glass and paper from Mont Cuet.

An impressive 230 tonnes of cardboard was deposited in new bring banks around the island, nearly twice as much as originally forecast.

Environment minister Deputy Bernard Flouquet said the figures showed that islanders understood the need to recycle as much as possible.

‘I’m delighted with these figures, which show a significant increase in the percentage of household waste recycled in the first quarter of the year,’ said Deputy Flouquet.

‘This is mainly down to the success of the household cardboard banks introduced at the end of last year. I and my department are encouraged by the statistics.’

The next quarter’s statistics will include figures for plastic recycling for the first time.

The average amount of waste deposited at Mont Cuet in the first quarter was 11,364 tonnes. This compares favourably to 14,065 tonnes during the same period in 2004.

Other figures released reveal that the total percentage of household waste recycled went up from 19.4% in 2004 and 19.8% in 2005, to 22.6% in the first quarter of 2006. Deputy Flouquet said this was mainly due to the cardboard scheme and another increase should be reflected in the next set of figures because of the one for plastics.

The amount of material collected at the recycling sites around the island, along with other States-operated schemes including Mont Cuet’s Civic Amenity Facility and Fontaine Vinery Waste Segregation site, show a projected increase in 2006 for the amount of drinks cans, tins, paper, textiles and cardboard that will be recycled compared to 2005.

However, the amount of glass recycled during 2006 is projected to decrease to 1,257 tonnes compared to 1,276 tonnes in 2005. Metal recycling is also expected to fall by 2 tonnes to 125 tonnes this year.

Deputy Bell added that through a new joint initiative between the Public Services and Environment Departments, all the recycling and waste statistics would now be published through the media on a regular basis.

‘The Public Services board felt it was important to publicise this information so that islanders can appreciate the impact they are making by taking part in the various schemes and the effect they are having on our waste problem,’ said Deputy Bell.