Toxic ash treatment in Jersey 'could cost £5m'

The income from burning Guernsey's waste could help pay for the new treatment of fly ash

Authorities in Jersey could spend up to £5m turning toxic ash into a safe material which can be buried.

Transport and Technical Services Minister Deputy Kevin Lewis said he was determined to find a way to treat fly ash from the incinerator.

He said at the moment it was stored in sealed bunkers and pits at La Collette.

But Deputy Lewis said the income from burning Guernsey's waste at the plant, if it was brought to Jersey, could pay for a new treatment.

Senior transport and technical services officers are investigating different and more permanent ways to deal with the ash.

The minister said one way was using "plasma gasification equipment" which turns the harmful ash into a non-toxic glass-like substance which would make it safe to bury.

Environmental group Save Our Shoreline said there was a cheaper option, turning toxic ash into a building material.