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The cost of disposing of asbestos will rise to £600 a tonne in 2019, as part of Guernsey's new waste strategy.
Previously, it had cost between £200 and £450 depending on the type of asbestos, but Guernsey's Senior Waste Manager put the hike down to Mont Cuet becoming more specialised in hazardous materials following the wider changes to waste management coming in.
While the dump will be closing to general waste, it will remain open as a tipping set for hazardous waste, which cannot be exported. This means there will be a significant reduction in the amount of waste going into Mont Cuet, hence the prices need to rise to cover the operating costs.
"When the new transfer station at Longue Hougue is fully operational, in a few weeks’ time, Mont Cuet will no longer be used to dispose of general waste. It will however still be required for hazardous waste, which we cannot export and have to deal with locally," Sarah Robinson, Guernsey Waste Senior Manager, said.
“The amount of material entering Mont Cuet is therefore going to reduce significantly. In 2016 around 29,000 tonnes of waste was disposed of there, but next year that is expected to fall to around 5,000 tonnes. That will be materials that are unsuitable for export, including around 400 tonnes of asbestos.
“The ongoing costs of operating Mont Cuet will therefore have to be met through a much reduced input, hence the reason why gate fees for hazardous waste will increase next year. We have written to all commercial customers to advise them of this."
Pictured: Asbestos was routinely used in building materials, however health concerns over the product's fibres date back decades
Asbestos is buried in Mont Cuet when it is disposed of. It is treated as a hazardous material because of its links to lung cancer when it breaks down into fibres and is breathed in.
While previously often used in construction for roofing, now, if anyone comes across asbestos when working, a qualified contractor is needed to come in and remove it, containing the fibres as they do so.
Ms Robinson continued: "We do not envisage this will materially impact on households for the simple reason that most do not dispose of asbestos on a regular basis. However it is of the utmost importance that if anyone encounters asbestos they engage an appropriately qualified contractor to remove it, because it is hazardous to health.
"Under no circumstances should they try to dispose of any quantity in their general refuse, as that would pose a severe risk to anyone subsequently handling it.”
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