Public to have their say on waste management
Fire truck at the George Town dump
(CNS): The public will have the opportunity to submit comments and ask questions of government officials at an open house meeting at the Government Administration Building (GAB), George Town, on Tuesday and on Cayman Brac and Little Cayman Wednesday, as the health ministry begins the direct interaction with the community over the recently released draft National Solid Waste Management Strategy. The document was made public at the end of last month but a solution to the country’s mounting garbage problem still appears some time away.
Government has said it is following the process set out in the Public Management and Finance Law. This means that even before a business case can be made to contract experts to begin a new waste-management programme, government must create a policy to outline its aims and ambitions regarding garbage.
The focus in the draft strategy is to dramatically reduce the waste people produce, switch to recycling, reuse and composting to reduce what goes into the landfills and to try and mine the existing dumps. Government will also be seeking ways to finance any new waste-management project or regime via fees.
“We believe that the generators of waste should be responsible and bear their proper share of costs for waste management,” the new policy document stated. Government said it would evaluate and adjust the current financing framework for waste management to ensure that the waste producers pay fees proportionate to the waste that they generate.
“Options for the financing of the reference project will include the charging of fees for waste collection and treatment as well as revenue opportunities from the sale of recyclates and recovered energy,” the report said. Government will also be examining the feasibility of landfill mining at George Town as means of extending its life and remediating the current site.
“Any new landfill facilities will be engineered to modern standards and include containment measures an environmental control facilities for both nonhazardous and hazardous wastes,” the report said.
The public meetings begin Tuesday evening at the GAB on Elgin Avenue at 5:30pm. Officials said people can stop by to review the strategy and hear from the international consultants and local technical staff, who have been working together in outlining the strategy, how it will impact the community.
On Wednesday 18 November an open house will take place on Little Cayman at the National Trust House, from 11:00am to 1:00pm, and there will be another on Cayman Brac at the Aston Rutty Civic Centre, from 5:30 to 7:30pm.
For more details and a copy of the report see related story: Cutting waste cornerstone of new policy
Category: Environmental Health, Health
Finally, as a member of the public I can have my say!! And here it is: The dump is big and smelly and something needs to be done about it. Radicle, right?
I have a great idea. Instead of all these public consultations, why don’t we elect a group of smart people who can study the issues and make a good decision.
Oh wait…
we live in a place where the most educated can’t even vote….welcome to wonderland
Good job insulting all of the Caymanian doctors, lawyers, engineers, etc. Its attitudes like that that perpetrate the Caymanian/Foreigner divide. Why do you want to do that?
More trash-talk.
If this wasn’t so absurd it would be funny. Just get on with it and fix the dump. Election soon come.
This meeting should be held at the new site in Midland Acres.
free solution = let dart remediate the landfill, create new facility including recycling elsewhere. welcome to 5 years ago.
thanks for nothing ppm.
Dart was never going to set up a recycling facility! He was supplying the land and some lined pits. The rest we would have to pay for and do. Everyone thinks he was going to supply a “turn key” waste management facility. That was never the case!
no-one ever said that….btw who will pay for the new modern waste facility at the current location??????
Same people that would have paid for the one in BT. We the people.
ppm= political procastination movement
Just implement the effing changes, grow a pair of bollocks FFS! This is nothing more than our elected Members wanting to know if changes they plan to implement will affect their voters. The rest of western civilization did this 20yrs ago, how much more input do you need, just effing Google and you have your answers!
Google what? Just wait a god darn minute and quit your cursing. You have to understand that according to the world as it is in Cayman the wheel hasn’t been invented yet. We can’t take these important evolutionary steps in haste. These things are not to be taken lightly you know, we need another 25 years in which to ponder the solution.
Or wait until half the island has to be evacuated due to toxic fumes from a giant tyre fire…
So they set 1 single consultation meeting in Grand Cayman at 5:30 in the evening?!!! They don’t want input!