Guernsey

The States of Guernsey take steps to resolve their costly lack of landfill sites

The second largest Channel Island of Guernsey, a mere 78km² in area, is rapidly running out of space; its last landfill site, Mont Cuet, is scheduled to be full in 2022. The continuing fear of high costs when disposing of waste at sea or when shipping back to the UK led to the development of a new strategy for recycling their own glass. Krysteline offered a cost-effective answer. The aim of the project was to seek a long term solution for their waste problem that would protect the natural biodiversity of the island by avoiding the creation of new landfill sites that could endanger native species. If possible, the project also wished to explore the option of using recycled glass as an aggregate in order to produce revenue.

Success

Since 2011, by collaborating with the local quarry, glass crushed at this site has been used in aggregate on the island. By using glass cullet, they reduce a proportional amount of imported sand, thus decreasing shipping costs. These aggregates have been used in building houses and constructing roads. Minister Bernard Flouquet said "Shipment to the UK is expensive… Using recycled, crushed glass as an aggregate substitute for roads is a tried and tested method and would also help the natural environment by reducing the energy pollution involved in transporting the glass" (Guernseypress.com).

The glass recycling project is part of Guernsey’s wider recycling plan in order to protect their environment against growing waste and prevent new landfill sites. The collaboration with Krysteline has not only proved effective in reducing the volume of waste, it has created an investment that continues to generate money for Guernsey’s economy.