Incinerator ‘best for the island’
Wednesday 14th October 2009, 11:30AM BST.
THE new director of environmental health and pollution regulation believes a waste incinerator is the best option for the island.
Valerie Cameron, who took over the post from John Cook on 1 October, said she had been following the debate over what to do with the island’s rubbish.
‘I think it is probably the best option in collaboration with other things like recycling and reusing, which I think could be developed,’ she said.
Mrs Cameron, 52, has worked within island communities in environmental health before. Prior to coming to Guernsey, she was based in Jersey.
‘The idea of being promoted to director in an island community is really an exciting challenge for me.
‘There’s a generally good working relationship between the health teams in Jersey and Guernsey. The department has been kept up to date with quite a lot of the changing issues here. It’s quite an exciting time for environmental health in Guernsey.’
The department is working on implementing an environmental health law. Mrs Cameron hopes it will go before the States for consideration after Christmas.
Other plans on her agenda include tidying up food safety laws.
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Sounds all very nice–on paper that is.
I wonder if her remit allows a tidying up of the very STATES
And I don’t agree with an incinerator, the wide dispersion of ‘Dust’ is enormous.
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What a wishy washy response ‘I think it is probably the best option in collaboration with other things like recycling and reusing, which I think could be developed,’
Still at least they don’t have any voting powers above the general population.
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If she had said anything else would she have still got the post?.
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Guern abroad – real cynics might also suggest that they’d never have given the job to someone vehemently opposed to the incinerator in the first place.
Mrs Cameron’s statement may have been wishy washy but can you really blame her? Let’s face it – rightly or wrongly it’s never a good career move to upset your boss on your first day at work by opposing their latest brainchild – so best to toe the party line, at least to begin with. Perhaps once she’s got her feet under the desk we may hear a different tune, though I must confess I’m not holding my breath.
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Was there really no Guernsey person able to take up this very well paid position? Why do we continue to employ people on licences when Guernsey people should be encouraged to train and work towards filling these positions. By her own admission this is a promotion for her so we are not employing someone at the top of their profession.
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I totally agree with you Paul. She’s from Northern England, and has been in Jersey, I really cannot understand why a local person wasn’t hired, or could be trained for this position.
The incinerator is not the best for the island, it might be the best up north, but not here. Maybe she should try and get one built up there, in her home country.
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Let’s all face it: how many of these outsiders really know what Guernsey is like, their struggles, the winds the tides, the altogether different kind of natural ways as opposed to more inland place.
Why on earth does the States not have enough guts to employ local.
To say to toe the line, in my opinion is against all moral thinking:
If that is how she is going to work then she’ll only do that through out her stay.
Enough of the cuddling, get a bit of steel into our Island.
One can see that gradually they will all pull out, and we’ll be left with the dregs.
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I would like to wish John Cook a very happy retirement.
I find it difficult to believe that his position could not have been filled by someone we already employ in Environmental Health, whom to the best of my knowledge are long standing employees with considerable experience and expertise of Guernsey’s specialised requirements in this vast field.
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Well said to all of the above. The fact is that Environment simply cannot appoint a local to such a senior position because they are well aware of what local people think about the local environment!! Far better to bring in an “outsider” to do the dirty work!
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I wonder if any of our deputies, particularly those in housing, would like to comment on why we are not promoting from within rather than promoting someone from outside the island. More specifically what case was given to housing for needing a licence, are our currently employed experienced staff really of such poor quality.
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Paul
I am not going to comment on an individual posts as that would be quite improper given my role. However I can say this, Housing consider the applications placed before us, it is not our place to re-interview those who have already gone through the interview process by the department looking to fill the post, Our job is to make sure the department has made every effort to recruit locally and has advertised the post locally but the selection process about who is the best person for the job must be left to the relevant department. Internal promotion must be left to the department as it is their job to deliver the service to the public. Once we are satisfied that the department HAS done its best to recruit on island and failed, then we consider the application from that point. After all, you would not want the Housing board deciding on what doctors are suitable for our health service after they have passed an interview panel. It is Paul as always a question of balance, I hope that helps
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I think it as already commented, bring someone in, they wont want to rock the boat and will therefore toe the line.
I wonder if Jersey had already passed them up for Jersey’s own promotional next steps, so we get them instead!
I fail to see why people are broght in, surely local people (be they long license served/or local) have the most interest in the Island.
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Well Deputy Jones where are you? It seems you have plenty to say about everything apart from your own brief. With NO experience I suggest you stop telling the Business community what to do and concentrate on sorting out Housing.
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Incinerators burning household or other rubbish are common here,but they take years to be built due to all the public resistance.They need to be built as far away from high density population areas as they DO emit dangerous chemicals.They need extreme high chimneys,but some fall out is unavoidable.So to build one for Guernsey you would need to consider firstly the prevailing wind,which would,I would say,mean building it on the highest ground,nearest the sea.I do not see how Guernsey can solve its waste problem without an incinerator!Exporting it,and having it burnt,would prove much too expensive!And don’t forget,other countries are tightening up their waste disposal laws,and may make it impossible to dispose of someone elses rubbish!
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Paul you should look at the time of my post
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Some of this tripe really hacks me off. I’ll pick on two:
1. I wonder if Jersey had already passed them up….so we get them instead!
Come on! How suspicious can we get – no wonder this island in so many ways is heading down the pan! How about the possibility that the Jersey structure is such that there were no further avenues for promotion?
2. “Guernsey’s specialised requirements…” “what outsiders know about what Guernsey is like, its struggles…”
Sorry, when did Guernsey be situated on Mars?! Don’t we all share the same planet? Thought we used the same water as the rest of the world?
We’re not THAT different!
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Billy;
Do you know any of Guernsey’s History?
Do you know of the struggles I referred to.?
in fact do you know anything except that which you have had imprinted into your head,
On the lighter side, because I do not like to belittle people.
You talk of the same Sea to start with, if that is true. Most English refer to, and wrongly (in my opinion) the English Channel; Why?
We know it as La Manche (the sleeve)
if all seas are the same then why all the different names?
Different I sincerely hope for that;
To start we are not Germanic as per Anglo-Saxon. In fact we are quite different in our ways our history, and our struggles against the bigger bullies who have in hundreds of years tried to knuckle us down. but we’re resilient, we bounce back. Oh yes we are not all the same; Tell the Scots they’re like the English– but do it from a safe distance.
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Eric
I know plenty of Guernsey history – you’re missing the point. I’m asking what makes us so special and different from any other person.
Nothing. Guernsey people put their trousers on one leg at a time just like everyone else. I’m trying to say that we’re not as different from anyone else as some people would, it appears, like to think.
And thank you for not trying to belittle people – that would serve no purpose!
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Well Billy:
There are things and knowledge that cannot be written upon; unfortunately because of the way and decline of a once brave and clever nation like the UK; Freedom of speech is a myth.
Led by the nose by the EU, the UK has more knowledge of the world than the most of EU, and that is what galls them
Make no mistake; I’m no lover of the English side of the UK, but I will give honour where it deserves to be honoured.
Different than others, well we have two legs and arms to match; that’s true, but our thinking of the world differs.
We are a small Island, but to us it is the best, even an Englishman knew that when he composed our Anthem (Battle song if you so wish)
They said Nero was mad when he burnt Rome–I don’t think so, fire destroys evil totally, we cannot set Guernsey on fire; But we can speak out, and say what we mean; at least for the time being, because EU will soon put a stop to free speech, if it not in their curriculum- It soon will be.
I do not wish to hurt people with words, however I’ll stand up for our Island as I did a long time ago, I got punished, but to me it was an honour, it showed I hit the nerve somewhere.
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Good article in the press today 21 October about whats TRULY best for the island
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Is that the same Valerie Cameron, 52, who previously installed the waste incinerator in Jersey?
How convenient, eh?
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