An all-island kerbside recycling scheme may not be the best route forward for waste management in the Isle of Man.

That was the message from Infrastructure Minister Ray Harmer, who said the incinerator in Braddan and bring banks also had parts to play in an integrated strategy - something that is due to be debated in Tynwald.

’In terms of kerbside and in terms recycling, energy from waste, that is part of the whole waste strategy and there will be an opportunity to debate that in July,’ told the House of Keys on Tuesday.

Mr Harmer confirmed that only three local authorities - Douglas, Braddan and Malew - operated kerbside recycling collection schemes.

Onchan Commissioners were part of an initial scheme but pulled out once the cost was passed on to local authorities.

The minister pointed out that there were bring banks at 74 public places, to add to the regional civic amenity sites.

Mr Harmer said the possibility of expanding kerbside collections would be considered by the Waste Working Group of government officers, which had an aim of ’incentivising recycling and developing the household waste strategy’ that would feed into the overall waste strategy.

’The work will consider the benefits through joint working and standardising waste-collection operations and the need to revise legislation for waste collection to facilitate this,’ said the minister.

About 1,600 tonnes of materials were diverted from the energy from waste facility - also known as the incinerator - by the bring bank scheme.

’We would imagine that could be doubled if we had a kerbside scheme, but the kerbside scheme generally costs somewhere around between £20 and £30 per household,’ Mr Harmer added.

’If you take into consideration the bring bank system - for which the costs are roughly £130,000 - and when you consider the money that it saves local authorities - it saves around £80,000 in terms of waste charges - certainly the bring bank system actually gives a lot of financial benefit.’