How we manage hazardous waste
We use specially engineered cells to safely dispose of hazardous waste that can't be:
- recycled
- recovered
- used for land reclamation
The cells are located inside the earthen mounds at La Collette. The mounds look like grassy hills or raised landforms to blend into the surrounding area. The cells are carefully built to stop the contents from escaping into the environment.
Hazardous waste is produced by local industries. We only accept waste into the cells that has no alternative treatments on-Island, but it must also meet our strict acceptance criteria. This makes sure the waste won’t damage the cell or the environment. We don’t take everything as some materials are too hazardous to be accepted.
Find more information in our acceptance criteria.
La Collette Non-Inert Waste Acceptance Criteria
Keeping contaminated liquid out of the sea
Leachate is the liquid that forms when rainwater filters through waste. As it passes through, it can pick up the chemicals in the waste and become contaminated.
We carefully manage this liquid to protect the sea and the environment. Leachate is collected and pumped into the sewage treatment system so it can be safely processed. This prevents it from leaking into the sea or surrounding land.
Once a disposal cell is full, we seal it with a permanent cap. This stops rainwater from getting in and no more leachate can form.
Seawater monitoring at La Collette
We sample the sea water surrounding La Collette Recycling Park 4 times per year. This is to make sure it’s not being affected by the waste processing works done on the site.
Samples are analysed for heavy metals, nitrates, and hydrocarbons by an independent UKAS-accredited laboratory in the UK. The results are compared to the limits for surface waters specified in the Water Framework Directive on European Commission.
These standards are different to the EU Bathing Water Directive for other locations of seawater monitoring which look for harmful bacteria.
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