Garbage collection troubles roll on

| 26/03/2018 | 31 Comments

(CNS): The Department of Environmental Health (DEH) is once again offering apologies to the people of the Cayman Islands for more lengthy delays over garbage collection services last week. Officials said several issues were to blame including a mechanical breakdown of the two garbage trucks that are assigned to Cayman Brac. “The DEH has been working tirelessly throughout the week to ensure that normal collections resume in the shortest possible time,” officials said.

Garbage pick-up on Cayman Brac resumed on 22 March in scheduled areas, while collection of outstanding areas in Grand Cayman was set to begin on Saturday.

The latest problems come while the ministry remains silent on the situation relating to DEH Director Roydell Carter, who has been on unnamed leave since the end of last year. Civil service management has made almost no comment about the director’s continued absence but has denied that he has been suspended. Carter has, however, not been on the job for some four months and CNS understands that he may be in talks about his departure.

Questions have also been asked recently in parliament about efforts to address the future waste management needs of the country and the awarding of a contract to a consortium of international and local firms led by Dart’s general contractor, DECCO. Government remains in negotiations with this group about the implementation of an integrated waste management solution focusing on a waste-to-energy plant.

Although garbage collection had been continuing in some communities on Grand Cayman, neighbourhoods around Crewe Road, Shamrock Road, Prospect Drive, Hirst Road, College Close to Windward Drive, Tall Tree to Will T Drive, Will T Drive to Northward entrance via Shamrock Road, Hudson and Fig Tree Drive, North Sound Estates to Moonbeam Drive, Pedro Castle Road to Spotts Newlands, Frank Sound Homes, Ocean Club to Newlands and Midland Acres to John McLean Drive were all impacted by the latest problems.

The DEH urges residents who continue to experience non-collection of their garbage to call the offices in Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac on 949-6696 or 916-4201, respectively, or by emailing dehcustomerservice@gov.ky.

See today’s Ask Auntie column: DEH did not pick up garbage

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Comments (31)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Allow me to assure everyone in Cayman that this story has legs and continues to run. A simple drive around the island will tell the tale.
    My understanding that the former mechanics who could actually fix the broken trucks were replaced with unskilled people who cannot fix the equipment hence the problem.

  2. Joe B says:

    Trash in=trash out. Expect poor performance from Caymanian civil service and stop being disappointed.

  3. Sasha says:

    Why are we complaining about the garbage not being collected? It is a service offered by the Government of the Cayman Islands to collect to garbage accumulated by residents and dispose of it on our behalf.
    We’ve been told there are staffing and equipment issues as an explanation why we are having this situation. Does this mean we are going to sit and let OUR own garbage bins overflow? Where has our sense of pride in cleanliness gone?
    Stop complaining about the garbage not being collected in a timely manner and take action! Appreciate your garbage collectors, they willingly pick up your trash so that you won’t have to. Let’s just show them a bit of appreciation and support during these times, by simply taking the trash to the landfill ourselves.

    If you don’t like to see your own trash bins overflowing into the street, there’s a simple solution…..take it to the dump yaself!

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    • Joe B says:

      Generate your own electricity while your at it and just dump your trash anywhere but at your own place. Are we not third world? And obviously proud of it.

  4. Anonymous says:

    It is obvious the Mr. Carter was not the sole cause of the garbage collection issues.

    The same treatment they gave to Mr. Carter also needs to happen to the current Interim Director or managers at DEH because the problems are still.happening.

    Get rid of the people who create the problems and we get rid of the problems!

  5. Anonymous says:

    Have you noticed these mishaps have been going on since Ozzy’s days, and you mean to tell me the government can’t buy more trucks and hire more staff ???!!! This is not looking well!

  6. Anonymous says:

    If they don’t come soon I’m going to put it in the back of my truck and dump it along the road somewhere. Sorry, but nearly two weeks in Bodden Town and I can’t take the smell, the chickens and the dogs that asshole people don’t tie up tearing up my garbage bags and spreading the stuff all over the place. This is a number one important service and the fact that the minister and his staff and Franz are saying eff all about it is a bloody disgrace.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Please don’t litter. How about you dump it in the driveway of the minister. Drop in from of the MLAs offices, or even drop it at the government building. Just do not encourage littering.

    • Dump guy says:

      The Minister of DEH is he not from BT East. This is what happens when you have very poor choices. BTE thatwayaget.

  7. Anonymous says:

    What happened to the DEH???
    It was in years past one of the best services offered by government, it ran like clock work.
    I have heard stories about changes there and I don’t know if they are true but something changed at the DEH and it is now broken.

  8. "Anonymousir" says:

    2 broken down trucks, assigned to the brac? holding us up? really? maybe that 2.3 MIllion to NRA should go to the DEH …

  9. Anonymous says:

    Just take your garbage down to the public beach, no one will notice.

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  10. Anonymous says:

    At least they don’t have Mr. Carter to blame this time. This situation again confirms it wasn’t him. Go figure nah.

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  11. Anonymous says:

    Why doesnt everyone in West Bay , South Sound and George Town put out their trash out on the street and let the cruise shipper see it? Or bring it it in from Newlands etc. and dump it in George Town. Can iguana’s eat trash??

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  12. Anonymous says:

    You people need to CALM DOWN. Put your garbage in your freezer and wait. Our leaders will take care of it.

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  13. Anonymous says:

    When the minister in charge gets back from his honeymoon or wherever he is, I’m sure he’ll get right on it (after he sleeps off his jet-lag) and it will be a well oiled machine once again!

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  14. Anonymous says:

    I live in Newlands Area and I have never seen such a mess in all of my life with Garbage collection. One never know when to put it at the street as there is never a normal collection time. One week they collect on Friday and then skip a week or two and then collect on Thursday, a complete confusion.

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  15. Cor Blimey! says:

    Really, the incompetence of the Civil Service knows no end. Time that Government faced reality and replaces the large number of non performers with Philipinos who are cheaper and ten times more efficient.

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  16. Anonymous says:

    civil service and cig at their incompetent best….

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  17. Anonymous says:

    but let’s increase the population to at least 100,000 and continue to built more and more hotels in the hope visitor numbers continue to increase, despite not being able to manage the current infrastructure……….

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    • Anonymous says:

      They will. And the tourists will just stay at their resorts because it’s nice and clean. Get your government in check if you want that to change. Organize a march for cleanliness, hire junk, go to your elected officials office. Do something instead of always going to keyboard war.

    • Anonymous says:

      How many trucks would Dart need to service his own properties? Just a few working every day. If he is not already doing this I bet it is in the works, and CIG will end up paying for it.

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  18. Anonymous says:

    Once again -get out of the skip hire/collection & grabber truck business. Leave this to the private sector. DoEH should concentrate their resources & efforts on the household collection.

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  19. Lloyd noble says:

    I work at DEH for 18 years and I’ve never seen anything like this, can I get my job back.lol

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  20. Anonymous says:

    Better pay some overtime so it all gets picked up. 🙂

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  21. Anonymous says:

    I still waiting to be paid for my trash cans that they threw away when they collected my garbage. I know of 3 occasions that this has happened lately.

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