Petition wants to bin new waste strategy

Monday 11 February 2019

Guernsey will be "full of rats and rubbish" because of some who will refuse to buy black bag stickers, the person behind an online petition believes.

Samantha Barry has set up the petition in protest of the waste strategy and the cost to islanders of having to buy stickers on top of an £85 annual waste charge and parish rates.

The petition has garnered some support from the public with over 1,200 digital signatures to date. 

Ms Barry said: "The New Waste initiative brought in by the States of Guernsey is a flawed idea and will not work as some people will buy the stickers and some won’t! This is unfair. The States say that they will issue fines once they have gone through the unstickered black sacks for evidence. [However] this is unrealistic as who is going to leave their name and address or any evidence in the black sack."

She said efforts to find the culprits will "waste time and money". 

"The whole waste management system needs a re-think, I personally am annoyed that we have more charges to pay as in my view we are taxed to the hilt now. But also see the other side of the coin; we need to recycle and reduce our waste, so if you have a better idea please contact your deputies."

A number of Town residents and users took to social media to complain last week after black bags were left stickerless and uncollected by contractors on the first night of charged collections. 

States Trading Assets has reiterated that contractors will not be taking any bags away at the proper time if they don't have a sticker attached. 

And once they have been, they will look to identify those who had put out the rubbish illegally. 

Pictured: Black bags were left strewn around parts of St Peter Port after the first night of stickered collections. 

Since that first night of collections last Sunday, Recycling for Guernsey said that subsequent collections had gone more smoothly, with contractors for Castel, St Martin's, Forest and the Vale confirming no major issues. 

Anyone who hasn't had their rubbish taken away can deliver it to Longue Hougue where you'll have to pay the 'pay as you throw' charge directly.

Residents in St Sampson's and other parts of St Peter Port will have their first taste of the new sticker scheme this week. 

Pictured top: The petition that Samantha Barry has set up against the waste strategy.