THE people’s panel on waste disposal has taken a parting shot at the Public Services Department after having been disbanded by minister Bernard Flouquet.

Deputy Flouquet (pictured) said the panel, set up by the department to ensure that public opinion would be taken into account when considering the solution to Guernsey’s waste problem, no longer had a role as the department looks to narrow down its shortlist of eight companies to a preferred choice.

The panel released a report before the July States debate on waste solutions, claiming the department’s estimate of the amount to be handled – 45,000 tonnes rising to 70,000 over 25 years – was incorrect.

It also stated that the department’s estimates that Mont Cuet would be full in seven years were inaccurate.

In a letter to The Guernsey Press, panel members stood by their findings and said the decision to build a facility based on those figures could prove to be one of the biggest unnecessary public spending commitments ever made by the States.