Experts outline food waste treatment plan
Wednesday 22nd June 2011, 11:30AM BST.
ABOUT 150 people attended a presentation at Beau Sejour last night on a proposed solution to deal with Guernsey’s organic waste and sewage.
Industrial and agricultural machinery expert Dick Bilborough and waste water expert Dr Christopher Rowlands outlined their plan to build a sewage treatment plant and anaerobic digester, to deal with food waste, at Longue Hougue.
Mr Bilborough (pictured) told the audience that the development would cost about £65m to build but said there was enough backing to finance it privately.
He also said that the States would be given a 20% stake in the business with islanders also able to invest.
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Can’t this lot end up on the fields as fertilizer, obviously after all the necessary treatments?
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Yes,what a wonderful scheme!But what will be the cost? by that I mean to us, the populace of Guernsey, for the obvious benefits,use and upkeep.The costs of setting up the plant maybe paid by someone else but no-one, but no-one is going to be doing this for free.So I ask again what will be the ongoing costs to each and every member of the public?
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If it seems too good to be true it probably is too good to be true.
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Sounds like a great approach to deal with island waste and yes the output can be used again on fields etc.
Still with the temporaty acconodation that PSD want to build at Longue Houge that will be there say at least 2 years, that has the potential to be a thorn in the side of this project which is a solution being installed in the UK, such as Horsham. So this is not new technology making Guernsey exposed but is tried and tested elsewhere, so Guernsey has just got to get on with it and get it installed with no negative can’t do that barriers.
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This sounds promising. I’m in the UK, what did people who attended the meeting think of the idea?
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Just to clarify.
The digestate cannot be used on the land in Guernsey.
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I attended the presentation yesterday evening, and they are certainly on the right track for the following reasons:
The location is right and can easily link to the treatment plant at the Red Lion.
Private Guernsey enterprise will pay for it with 20% ownership being offered to the States together with a seat on the Board of the company to protect Guernsey’s interest.
The company will be floated on the Channel Island Stock Exchange with 10% being available to the Guernsey public.
The States will also continue to own the land on which it is situated.
The technology (Anaerobic digestion) has been around for decades and Germany has built over a 1,000 plants in the last 10 years.
BIFFA in the UK were reported in one Sunday paper last weekend, that they have just finished a £24 million plant in Staffordshire and it is predicted another 100 more will be built by 2020. Such plants as this one in Staffordshire, can transform 120,000 tonnes of kitchen scraps into 6 megawatts of power, enough to power 6,000 homes 24 hours a day.
The additional advantage of this project is that they also propose to deal with Guernsey’s sewage problem neutralising and treating our waste with any residue flowing out to sea purified by ultra violet treatment, just as they do in Jersey.
Clarification needs to be made in connection with the ongoing running cost to the public, however, the plant will generate sufficient energy to run itself and I mentioned the States representation on the Board should be able to regulate the costs, together with the OUR.
It is disappointing that there is an element of the public and indeed among our own Deputies who do not appear to have the foresight to embrace current day tried and tested technology, but would prefer to be negative, disruptive and dismissive instead of attempting to understand it and the benefits it may bring to their Island.
Finally, despite Deputy Ogier’s claim in today’s Press the current process of selecting a waste strategy is unbiased, judging by the letters from various individuals in the Guernsey Press recently, I rather feel the public are being led by the very nature of the PDS’s consultation process, back to their recommendation for an incinerator.
Not enough is being done by PSD to source alternatives, it is not good enough to lay this crucial decision at the door of the general public.
The clock continues to tick and we have not seen or heard of any evidence that an alternative waste strategy to that of an incinerator, has been sought out, or tabled by experienced, international industry specialists.
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One the face of it, it sounds brilliant. Assuming the costs stack up why would anybody in their right mind prefer an incinerator? And if its not States owned or run it might be efficient. Assuming it does the job I suppose the worst that could happen is that the company ramps up the charges year on year because we would be totally dependent on them. 20% ownership and a seat on the board is a nice touch but would not allow us to prevent them charging whatever they want. It sounds well worth serious consideration.
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I’ve been putting mine on the rhubarb for years, does’nt seem to of done me any harm.
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The devils’ in the detail, but on first look0see I like the idea of
“He also said that the States would be given a 20% stake in the business with islanders also able to invest.”
And on a similiar subject was why I didn’t like the incinerator proposal.
Our waste, our land, our money and the French company made all the profit. If our waste has a value then our exchequer should be able to make a turn on it – not give it all away.
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