The States voted on Thursday against plans to have a joint incinerator with Jersey or to export waste there.

The Environment Department is to investigate shipping rubbish to Europe for the time being.

It is estimated that the Mont Cuet landfill site will reach maximum capacity by 2013.

Contaminated rubbish

During the debate, politicians told the government that the island's waste problem had reached crisis point.

Deputy Barry Brehaut said it was crucial to reduce the amount going to landfill.

He said: "We have a refuse crisis, there is no other word for it. We've been filling up a hole in the ground."

Several campaigns have been run to increase recycling on the island, but during the debate Environment Minister Bernard Flouquet said that that alone was not going to solve the problem.

He said: "No matter how hard we try, we are not going to be able to recycle our way out of this situation.

"What happens to this waste when it is sorted is that a significant proportion of the segregated waste is so contaminated that there is only one acceptable place for it, and that is landfill."

But despite the export plans, Home Minister Mike Torode said the island should not rely on other places to dispose of the island's waste.

He said: "We have got to solve our own problem. We can't rely on others, it's immoral anyway.

"Why should we send our rubbish to be burnt somewhere else and pollute their air.