Jersey Faces Choice: £250m Incinerator or Major Recycling Overhaul

Jersey Faces £250m Waste Dilemma as Recycling Rates Lag Behind Guernsey

Jersey has just over a decade to decide whether to invest in a new £250 million waste facility or radically rethink its approach to recycling, a local think tank has warned.

Policy Centre Jersey says the island’s Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) at La Collette—built in 2007 after heated political debate—will reach the end of its life by 2036. The ERF currently burns household waste to generate electricity, offering a greener alternative to traditional incinerators.

But the charity says government must act now to decide what comes next. “We’ve got an election coming up next year, so you could have a complete change of government,” said Jennifer Bridge of the Policy Centre. “With a 10-year lead-in for any replacement incinerator, that’s two more elections before it would even be built. We need decisions grounded in solid facts, so the island can move forward with confidence.”

The think tank argues that improving recycling could ease the island’s reliance on expensive waste infrastructure. Jersey households generate an average of 348kg of waste per person each year, nearly three times more than Guernsey’s 118kg, while Guernsey’s recycling rate of 68% is almost double Jersey’s 35%.

Part of the problem, the Policy Centre says, is Jersey’s fragmented waste system. Nine parishes currently run kerbside recycling schemes, each with different rules and collection methods. Others rely on residents to use “bring banks,” which are often full and only accessible by car. Islanders can also take waste directly to La Collette, though campaigners argue the system discourages higher recycling rates.

By contrast, Guernsey has a single kerbside collection scheme and charges residents per bag for unrecyclable waste—a model credited with its high recycling performance.

“Recycling isn’t just about bins—it’s about making it easy, trustworthy, and worthwhile,” the Policy Centre said in its report. “When people see their recycling is genuinely reused, and when it’s simpler to recycle than to throw away, behaviour changes fast.”

With the cost of a replacement ERF estimated at £250 million in today’s prices, campaigners say Jersey must choose between investing heavily in a new incinerator or transforming its waste strategy to boost recycling and reduce what ends up in the furnace.