A GARDEN centre manager has praised the efforts of islanders to save a free recycling scheme. Martel’s Garden World’s Chris Padgham said the 2,000 signatures he collected to save the centre’s green-waste skips made all the difference.

The recycling service allows islanders to dump green waste for free, but had become a victim of its own success.

Public Services almost had to close the facility because it was so popular it cost £30,000 a year to run.

But after mounting public pressure, a public-private partnership with Skip Co. Ltd has been struck and islanders can still dump green waste by paying 50p per bag.

Mr Padgham said he was proud that the campaign had worked.

‘It proves the enthusiasm and demand is there from islanders to recycle and do their bit for Guernsey,’ he said.

‘I only expected a couple of hundred signatures so to get so many is wonderful.

‘Some people come here to use the skips every week and they would only sign the petition once.

‘It really has been tremendously popular and I am thrilled that it will be staying.’

The 50p charge per bag will go towards paying for a member of Skip Co. Ltd staff to be permanently based at the garden centre to oversee the use of the skips.

However, this will not be until next spring because fewer people use the service during the winter months and not enough money would be generated to pay for the staff.

A shredder will also arrive next spring to reduce the bulk of the green waste and allow more to fit into the skips.

Skip Co. Ltd managing director Jeff Guilbert said it was a common sense solution that could be a blueprint for other similar schemes.

‘We are hoping that a 50p per bag charge will cover the cost of the member of staff, transportation of the waste to the Mont Cuet green site and make a small profit,’ he said.

‘The recycling budget has been the same for many years, there has not been any increase in line with RPI and that is why we have had to go down this road. Perhaps the States hasn’t increased the recycling budget because it’s not seen as particularly sexy.’

Skip Co. has been collecting about 30 skips a week from Martel’s Garden World and each skip contains about 50 bags of green waste.

The scheme has been running for 18 months and 727 tonnes of waste have been collected in the last six months alone.

Public Services minister Bill Bell said the solution was a classic example of how a public-private partnership worked to the benefit of the community.

‘We certainly wish Skip Co. Ltd and Martel’s Garden world every success and commend them both on providing and sustaining this popular enterprise,’ he said.

‘There is the potential to roll out similar partnerships across the island and it doesn’t have to be garden centres, it could be any other kind of site.’