Island's waste backlog builds up

About 100 tonnes of waste which is waiting to be recycled has built up in Jersey because demand for recycled products has dropped.
The island's recycling officer said the global economic downturn meant the value of recycled products, particularly plastics, had fallen.
Waste reprocessing plants in the UK are not currently able to take all the waste Jersey produces.
John Rive said it showed the island needed a good waste management plant.
Some waste is due to be shipped to the UK later this week.
Plans to build a new incinerator have been approved by Jersey's planning minister.
It would be able to process waste which, for whatever reason, could not be sent for recycling.
The plant at La Collette will replace the existing Bellozanne incinerator and will generate energy by burning waste.
The proposed plant is expected to improve air quality, generate electricity for about 8,000 homes and have an active life of up to 30 years. (from BBC News)

So as the recession grows looks like more "recyclable waste will be burnt !!

John Rive is only spouting TTS's "company line". As they are one-dimensionally focussed on only recycling in the here and now, with no apparent conception of the long term strategic thinking necessary, then no wonder they come out with woffle like this.

If one starts to think sustainably, then it is easy to realise that people also have to buy products made from recycled material to "close the loop". Manufacturers will not move over to sourcing recycled materials to make their products until the supply of that material is rock solidly certain. When that happens, the demand for recycled material will skyrocket.

Also, ultimately, products are going to be redesigned using different materials to favour the recyclability of the product at the end of its life. Of course, products will be also designed to be longer lived, more easily and cheaply repairable, and things like bottles will be reuseable and returnable.

Nick Palmer wrote:John Rive is only spouting TTS's "company line". As they are one-dimensionally focussed on only recycling in the here and now, with no apparent conception of the long term strategic thinking necessary, then no wonder they come out with woffle like this.

If one starts to think sustainably, then it is easy to realise that people also have to buy products made from recycled material to "close the loop". Manufacturers will not move over to sourcing recycled materials to make their products until the supply of that material is rock solidly certain. When that happens, the demand for recycled material will skyrocket.

Also, ultimately, products are going to be redesigned using different materials to favour the recyclability of the product at the end of its life. Of course, products will be also designed to be longer lived, more easily and cheaply repairable, and things like bottles will be reuseable and returnable.

With the World going into recession, the Cot of using re-cycled material will be no advantage, so most will stick to raw products and the cost of recycling will become very costly as they will not be able to dispose the recycled product

If you dont re-use or recycle you have to dispose. If the costs of that are factored in then it usually does make sense to find another use/reuse for the item. Once we start to have proper lifecycle product management such as the WEEE regulations then this is also likely to economically favour reuse and recycling. The real question is how soon can this be brought into effect?

Pegasus wrote:With the World going into recession, the Cot of using re-cycled material will be no advantage, so most will stick to raw products and the cost of recycling will become very costly as they will not be able to dispose the recycled product

The world has no choice but to transition to a sustainable way of doing things. Anyone who defends not doing so is barking mad, or a Minister. Hmmm, perhaps that last sentence needs a rewrite?