From Chris Whitworth.
CONTINUING your focus on the incinerator, I find it both disturbing and highly questionable why our ministers agreed to a contract with a hefty £50 million penalty charge should we pull out. Even though pulling out would probably still have been the cheapest option in the long run, it surely meant that Deputy Wimberley’s recent rescindment debate never had a chance.

Having listened to some of the debate, one has to question the views of some of our long-standing States Members who insist that the only alternative to landfill is incineration. If this were the case, the world would have far more incinerator plants and mainland Europe would not be looking to ban incineration as a form of waste disposal.

I recall that the prime reason for siting such a huge incinerator at La Collette was to enable us to take Guernsey’s rubbish without having to drive it across St Helier. Therefore, as taking Guernsey’s rubbish is no longer the case and St Helier Constable Simon Crowcroft is about to commence large-scale recycling collections in Jersey’s largest parish, one has to wonder if there are ulterior motives.

The siting so close to the Ramsar site could result in Havre des Pas losing this status.

Perhaps this is our government’s desire, as removing the Ramsar status would allow the expansion of the reclamation site, providing the perfect place to dump the mountains of toxic ash that this plan will produce.

Installing a 150-metre horizontal flue pipe and recladding the JEC chimney is not cost effective when the incinerator comes with a brand new chimney. Also the problems with being so close to the fuel farm and the extra £37 million needed to alter the road layout along commercial buildings makes one ask the question:

What is wrong with the much cheaper option of constructing it at Bellozanne?

I am aware that the issue of a rubbish collection tax has not gone away and wonder if the real reason for La Collette is to somehow bypass the Bellozanne covenant?

As for the claims that this plant will produce 8% of the Island’s electricity, I imagine that this is only when it is operating at full capacity and does not account for any consumption by the incinerator plant itself?

Finally, when looking at the vote, the thing that stands out is that all the Constables, except St Helier, voted for this incinerator at La Collette. Now, as each Constable has a duty to protect the interests of his/her parishioners, this was always to be expected.

However, it does question the logic in allowing Constables to be ministers.

What if this incinerator was to be built in the parish of St Brelade, would our Transport and Technical Services Minister still have been in favour?
Evanston,
Green Street,
St Helier.