A NEW recycling centre is to open at La Collette next month.

The site, which will deal with some of the 230,000 tonnes of building waste brought to La Collette every year, will be run by AA Langlois Ltd.

Transport and Technical Services say that the new centre will enable La Collette to double the amount of building and construction waste recycled in Jersey.

It is part of a long-term strategy, they say, to reduce the burden on the site and demonstrate their commitment to increasing recycling in Jersey.

John Richardson, chief officer at Transport and Technical Services, said: ‘At the moment about ten per cent of building waste is recycled and we hope that will increase significantly.

This contractor has a lot more equipment and can produce lots of different grades of material – from gravel up to large stones.’ It will not cost the States anything.

In fact, Mr Richardson said, AA Langlois pay the States to lease the site.

John Rogers, TTS director of Waste Management, said: ‘One of the objectives of the waste strategy is to improve Jersey’s aggregate recycling facilities.

‘We hope that by working with AA Langlois Ltd we can provide Jersey’s “”third quarry”" and thereby extend the life of the landfill site at La Collette.’ Building materials such as bricks, blocks, granite and hoggin are recycled at La Collette already and made into chippings, granite dust and various sizes of stone.

AA Langlois (trading as AAL Recycling) will hold the contract until 2011.

Alan Langlois, managing director of the company, said: ‘We view the recycling of demolition and building waste as an opportunity to to not only extend the life of existing quarry reserves, but also to reduce waste and the environmental impact of mineral extraction.’