Guernsey recycling bring bank closures to save £100K a year

The States said it believed some of the material being taken to bring banks was from businesses, while the sites are just for household recycling and paid for through household waste charges

The three remaining recycling bring bank sites are set to close at the end of April, the States of Guernsey has announced.

It said the closure of the facilities at Salerie Corner, Waitrose Rohais and Longfrie Inn was expected to realise annual savings of about £100,000.

The decision follows a decline in usage accelerated by the pandemic lockdowns.

Charity collection bins for textiles and books, operated by a private contractor, are expected to stay open.

Usage of the banks for recycling had fallen to an all-time low following the Covid lockdowns, the States said.

It said: "Many households that had previously preferred to use bring banks switched to kerbside collection when the sites were closed during lockdown. Tonnages for 2022 suggest that most had not returned."

Facilities for dropping off glass and bulky cardboard will continue to be available at the Household Waste and Recycling Centre at Longue Hougue

More than a third of materials collected from the bring banks are textiles and books for charities and these bins are due to remain

Deputy Peter Roffey, President of the States' Trading Supervisory Board, said he would now be a reluctant convert to kerbside collection: "I am incredibly sad to see the bring banks go as I have always used them for all my recycling.

"What tipped the balance for me was the States decision last year to partially fund the cost of household waste from general revenue, rather than relying solely on user charges. This means the £100,000 we spend each year on providing the bring banks is £100,000 that can't be spent on essential services."

Sarah Robinson, Guernsey Waste's operations manager, said: "Post-Covid, the amount we collect through bring banks has fallen to such an extent we can no longer justify the cost of these facilities when other alternatives are readily available."

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