ISLANDERS might be sending their rubbish to Jersey in future. Guernsey’s waste could be exported to the sister island to relieve pressure on Mont Cuet landfill site.

Public Services has decided to explore the possibility following a meeting with Jersey’s Transport and Technical Services Department.

Minister Bill Bell said no decision had been made, but acknowledged that one was ‘long overdue’.

‘The board has agreed that the possibility should be investigated further,’ he said.

‘We have to consider the cost of export and ensure that any arrangement entered into is a cost-effective solution.

‘An on-island solution is the best one, but we need an insurance policy in case anything goes wrong with our own plans.’

It is expected that Jersey’s new waste plant will not be commissioned until the end of 2010 and will not be fully operational until 2011.

It is anticipated that for the first five to seven years it will have spare capacity and could receive waste from Guernsey while a long-term solution is worked out.

However, Guernsey’s waste could be exported to St Malo immediately and there are also concerns about the costs involved in shipping waste to Jersey.

But Deputy Bell said he was confident that the price could be negotiated into a financially viable package.

‘If Jersey did want us, and I get the impression they have a desire to fill the gap, I think the price is negotiable,’ he said.

‘Before we involve any policy, we need to investigate further. But if we can get a good deal, it should be something we put to the States.’

Export of waste as a prolonged strategy has been rejected by the States in the past, but as an interim measure it would help relieve pressure on Mont Cuet.

If Public Services decides short-term export to be a viable option, the next step would be to enter negotiations with the Jersey authorities, who have currently made no commitment in respect of any possible future arrangements.