Recycling and the use of mulch (FOI)

​Request

A

What properties do the Government of Jersey, or any parish in Jersey, rent or use from former or current Ministers and on what basis? For example Rondel's Farm.

B

How much do States pay a farmer to spread mulch on Island fields?

C

Does the mulch spread include plasterboard?

D

How much do the Government pay successful tenderers to deal with recyclable waste?

E

Please list those companies.

F

How long do the tenders last for and who can apply to undercut costs.

G

Who deals with waste televisions and how much does it cost?

Response

A

None of the documentation we hold for any properties leased by the Public have Ministers’ names, past or present, recorded as being the landlord.

Individual parishes may hold information relating to properties rented out by Ministers and you may wish to send your information request in writing to: foi@parish.gov.je

or to:

Parish FOI, East Wing, RJA & HS, Trinity, JE3 5JP

You can also find out more about making an FOI request to the parishes at https://parish.gov.je/Pages/FOI.aspx

B 

The Government of Jersey do not pay farmers to spread soil improvers (mulch) on fields.

C

Some of the soil improver (mulch) includes plasterboard. This soil improver / plasterboard mix is manufactured when the appropriate quality of plasterboard is received and is applied to agricultural land when requested by farmers.

D

Payments to companies who deal with recyclable waste are linked to the volumes and quantities shipped or processed. The Government currently pays approximately £1,500,000 per annum to deal with recyclable wastes.

E

Companies presently undertaking recycling activities for the Government of Jersey are listed below:-

• Fortis IBA Ltd

• Himelink (CI) Ltd (Trading as Profreight)

• HJ Enthoven Ltd (Trading as G&P Batteries)

• G4S Secure Solutions Jersey

• Abbey Waste Ltd

• Germbusters Ltd

• Dave Curtis Agricultural Contractors

• European Metal Recycling Limited

• European Metal Recycling (Jersey) Limited

• Synergy Asset Services Limited

• Viridor Waste Management Limited

• Indaver nv-Plant Indaver Relight (Belgium)

• CSS Recycling Ltd trading name of Computer Salvage Specialists (SW) Ltd

• AAL Recycling Ltd

F

Contracts vary in length from one to seven years. All invitations to tender are published on the States of Jersey tendering portal and are open to any organisation who wishes to submit a tende

G

Waste televisions are transported by Profreight and are processed by Viridor Waste Management Ltd.

Both of these companies were appointed after an open tender process and the associated tender returns (costs) are commercially sensitive and therefore exempt under Article 33 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011.

Article applied

33 Commercial interests

Information is qualified exempt information if –

(a) it constitutes a trade secret; or

(b) its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of a person (including the scheduled public authority holding the information).

Justification / Public interest test

Article 33 (b) allows an authority to refuse a request for information where its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of a person (including the scheduled public authority holding the information).

Whilst final costs will always be released (and it is in the public interest to do so) disclosing specific costs relating to single contracts are not in the public interest because their release would likely result in the loss of the Governments’ commercial bargaining position.

Furthermore, the release of the commercially sensitive terms of a contract would significantly disadvantage the parties’ ability to compete in any future tender process.