Ministers to press ahead with controversial new charges

Saturday 15 July 2017

The Minister for Infrastructure has confirmed that the States vote on when to introduce a controversial new liquid waste charge will go ahead next week, despite a critical report saying the measure had not been properly thought through.

Proposed by the Department for Infrastructure (DfI), the liquid waste charge was intended as a way for the government to reclaim £3.85 million they say it costs to process 'non-household' liquid waste each year.

Hotels, restaurants, clubs, nurseries and sports facilities could all be forced to pay up to £40,000 for the larger establishments. But questions have arisen over what to do in the case of business owners operating from their own residences, leading to calls for the debate to be delayed.

A scrutiny panel set out 12 recommendations to be considered before they believed the charge should be put into effect, including a push to provide better incentives for businesses to embrace ‘greener’ practices and a need to revisit the proposed costs.

While the Minister is yet to comment officially on the Panel’s findings, he said that he was, “…pleased that they agreed with the charges in principle.”

Despite their concerns, he will be pressing ahead with the vote next week.