From January, it'll cost to recycle bulky domestic goods as Guernsey Waste tries to claw back a £500,000 deficit.

From New Year's day onwards, recycling bulky domestic goods will attract a gate charge at Longue Hougue.

Fridges and freezers will cost £30, washing machines £20 and TVs and computer monitors £10.

The charges are designed to help offset a £500,000 deficit in Guernsey Waste's accounts, because it is costing government far more than was estimated to deal with Guernsey's rubbish and recycling.

Defending the charges for recycling white goods, which until now have been free, Guernsey Waste's Sarah Robinson says they're a one off cost that will only have to be borne occasionally, as people replace worn out or outmoded machines:

“If someone is spending several hundred pounds on a new appliance, we think it is reasonable they contribute to the cost of dealing with their old one. The charge is likely to represent a very small proportion of their total outlay and will reduce the funding which the taxpayer is currently having to provide.”

The annual charge levied on households by the States for waste services will also rise by £5 to £107.97. Green stickers for black bag waste will go up by 15p to £3.22 each.

The new waste rates are part of a raft of price increases brought in by STSB and its government owned trading companies over the past few days, including mooring fees at the two harbours, wholesale milk costs and water rates.