Waste alternative will go to States
Monday 13th July 2009, 11:30AM BST.
HOUSING minister Dave Jones will take the Rational Alternative scheme for dealing with the island’s waste to the States for debate, he has confirmed.
In a move that highlights a Policy Council rift over Public Services’s plan to build a £93.5m. mass-burn incinerator at Longue Hougue, Deputy Jones said he had always believed the best option was micro-incineration, coupled with better recycling.
That is why he is backing rival plans from a group led by businessman Rupert Dorey which include two micro-incinerators that would have a capacity of 22,000 tonnes per year – PSD’s proposed plant could deal with up to 54,000 tonnes.
‘This is something I have believed in from day one,’ Deputy Jones (pictured) said.
‘I believed in the People’s Panel version instead of mass-burn. I think we need to think about this much more intelligently.’
It is claimed that the Rational Alternative plan would cost around £180m. less than PSD’s over the 25-year lifetime of the plant.
It would also cost only £19m. up front – a saving of £74m.
Deputy Jones added: ‘I’m sure that the PSD proposal will tick all the boxes for many States members because they will want to put this to bed.
‘But the fact of the matter is there are a large number of the community who want their voices heard. That is why I have agreed to take the views of a great many people to the States for debate.’
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Well done, Dave Jones.
Where’s Scott Ogier on all this? Is he suddenly an MBI exponent? Is his position as Flouquet’s deputy compromising his initial environmental concerns?
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I second your well done Arnald. On issues like these Dave Jones is one of those politicians who really does have his finger on the pulse of island feeling. The mass burn monstrosity PSD wants to build at Longue Hougue is about as popular as the war in Iraq but that doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen.
As for Scott Ogier, he’s been nobbled I’m afraid. The mass burn ideologues in the States put him on PSD, patted him on the back and assimilated him. He’s now deluding himself, but not those who were with him on the last anti mass burn campaign, by pretending that the Suez monster isn’t really a monster because it’s that much smaller than the Lurgi one he helped to slay.
We can only hope that he will attend the RA presentation tomorrow evening at St Sampson’s High and see that it is workable, rational and a whole lot less expensive, both in environmental and economic terms, than the PSD model he has given his public backing to.
Come on, Scott, to admit you were wrong to follow your committee and not your conscience would show great political courage and independence of thought. Support the RA.
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Yes Arnald. I would like to hear what Scott Ogier has to say on this also. Has he changed his views on the subject?
I would also like to ask if anyone has seen or heard any media coverage of the PSD presentation/meeting last week. I went to the meeting and watched while Bernard Flouquet failed to give any satisfactory responses to many of the questions asked of him. These questions included serious concerns regarding the calculations used to predict that our waste will continue to increase. He also was asked what his department felt was their vision for how Guernsey is to stand environmentally, ie do they believe that we should be aiming towards reducing waste,(because their proposal would not be compatible with this). We were then informed by Bernard Flouquet that he does not feel that we are capable of doing this,(even though several communities across the world are doing a great job of doing just this). He obviously has a fundamental belief that this is not an option for our island. Do we really want someone with these views to make such a huge decision about what to do with such a massive amount of our money, and to throw away and burn our chance of becoming an environmentally innovative island?
I listen to Radio Guernsey pretty much every day and check this website but havent heard anything about this meeting other than letting people know that it was on beforehand. I don’t watch channel news so was wondering if anyone had seen it on that? Or maybe seen it in the press as I tend to catch up online? Would be great if someone could let me know as I would be interested to see how it was reported.
I am very much looking forward to attending the meeting tomorrow at St Sampsons school to hear some alternative plans. I just hope there will be a good turn out.
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I’ve just read the paper. Deputy Ogier is saying that the only difference between this alternative and PSDs tender choice is the amount of waste to be processed.
That and an initial £70M or thereabouts, eh Deputy Ogier.
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Well done to Dave Jones.
At least he is responding to the public concern which flouquet is ignoring (no surprise there).
It is a bit concerning if the only reason that deputies vote for mass burn is because “they will want to put this to bed”.
Get rid of Flouquet now before he causes anymore damage to this island.
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Ideally Guernsey needs
1)a Digester about 10,000Tpa for food waste/farm waste, for CHP from methane; compost back to farmland
2)a Gasplasma unit for the material that cannot be recycled or digested, for 2xRoCs Combined Heat and Power.
See
http://www.advancedplasmapower.com/index.php?action=PublicTVFootageDisplay&albumid=1
http://www.advancedplasmapower.com/index.php?action=PublicTheProcessDisplay
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrYJof510NU
Basically, no incineration/combustion process is needed
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Its a shame but some civil servants are totally wedded to Mass Burn Incineration.
They see, they want nothing than.
B****r the People is their attitude.
Hell bent on BURNING the idiots.
Never mind Guernsey as a sustainable island.
Lorre
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Last night, at St Sampson’s High, the people of Guernsey sent out a clear message to States members that they do not want mass burn and have never wanted mass burn.
I am told that around 500 people were there – five times more than the attendance at the two PSD presentations – and all but a handful signalled their support FOR the Rational Alternative (based on micro incineration and recycling).
Another show of hands showed that practically everyone who attended was unequivocally AGAINST the PSD/Suez plan for a mega plant that will end up costing this island more than 200 million over the 25 years of the contract.
Rodney Brouard’s sterling work to find an arrangement to export our waste to Jersey as an interim measure also found a wide degree of support.
Typically, the PSD’s PR man (yes, they now have their own PR man paid for by us, the taxpayer!) was arrogant and dismissive after the event. “Yes, 500 out of 60,000,” he sneered when the numbers were put to him.
Sure, quite a few of us who were there are indeed long term campaigners for a rational, sustainable waste solution for this tiny island, but we number no more than 50 at the absolute maximum. A tenth of the audience. Per capita the turnout in the UK would have been a turnout of more than 50,000.
The vast majority of those at St Sampson’s High last night were ordinary, non politicised islanders who had come to express their horror at the PSD/Suez model – in particular the financial burden that could be foisted on each and every one of us.
These people have sent out a clear message. The mass burn model simply is not right for Guernsey. It is one huge, costly sledgehammer to break a difficult little nut.
Are our States members listening?
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I have criticised Dave Jones on a number of occasions, I thought it was well founded.
However on this subject all praise to him for speaking out.
I agree with above posters.
It doesn’t mean I’ve gone soft, but this is a very important affair.
en passant; the get rid of Flouquet brigade has another member now. He can’t go quick enough. OUT OUT OUT.
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One thing is for sure…… if this Suez proposal does get thrown out, the problem cannot be given back to the same people who have brought mass-burn to the States for a second time having been told repeatedly that it is not wanted here.
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Whilst I prefer a no burn approach, this is a much better suggestion to have two smaller units.
One, they provide backup for each other should one ever fail and need repair.
Two, being smaller capcity it will mean Guernsey will have to get smarted with waste recycling/disposal etc.
Three, one could always be turned off in the future and used for spares should more ‘green’ options be identified and employed.
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Fact is we should n’t be having this conversation.
The waste should not have got here full stop.
We are beginning to deal with plastic bags(though shops are far too keen to offer you one at the till, for my liking)but hey we could ban polystyrene, insist the takeaways don’t use it.
Know we can recyle the clean version at the moment
but we know for sure when the mass burner is up and burning that will be fuel for the fire, and cardboard and paper. Lock up your kids ’cause they will be searching for anything to FEED THE BEAST.
Second fact is, far as I can see.
If we are to settle/decide on THE FINAL SOLUTION
then we(same as last time) wouldn’t start from here.
We are only marginally down the recycling route, with massive public support.
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I hope everyone posting on here has written to their Deputies and encouraged all friends, family etc to do likewise. I can’t find anyone who wants this Suez mass-burn incinerator, but I know for a fact that a lot of Deputies will still vote for the PSD plan in the hope that this whole waste subject will just ‘go away’.
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