For the best part of the last two decades, an area of National Trust of Guernsey land at Mont Cuet and Creve Coeur has been leased to the States of Guernsey to facilitate landfill operations.
On Friday 28th October, 2016 and as part of an unusual visit to the site, two Council Members and Trust Co-ordinator Jemma Charlotte Field, met Joe Adams, Site Manager at Creve Coeur and Sarah Robinson, Senior Manager, Guernsey Waste.
As these photographs illustrate, Creve Coeur has now been fully utilised and, with the exception of a gas flare stack and several biogas monitors, largely returned to a green area.
Mont Cuet, Guernsey's active landfill site, is just 200 metres west of Creve Coeur. Mont Cuet is expected to reach capacity by 2018, after which it will undergo a similar process return it to a green state, albeit discrete biogas-monitoring equipment will remain in place for about 30 years thereafter.
We stayed on site at Creve Coeur for well over an hour, watching, with unabashed fascination, the incessant process of caterpillar type machinery compacting our household waste in the presence of an ever-attentive cloud of many thousand, voracious gulls.
At some stage in the future, the Trust will again have access to an extensive stretch of land, enjoying an outstanding panoramic view, at this most northern point of the Island.
Our visit provided a remarkable opportunity and insight into an often unseen activity. It felt very pleasant to be standing high on a green hill, enjoying a spectacular view, knowing that until quite recently, the area was an active landfill site. Our thanks go to Sarah and Joe for sharing their time and knowledge of this fascinating and crucial aspect of Island life.
If NTG Members are interested in joining a small group visit to Creve Coeur, please contact our Trust Co-ordinator, Jemma Charlotte Field: emc@nationaltrust.gg
Credits:
Photographs: Sara lampitt