Garbage pick-up falls behind over holidays

| 31/12/2019 | 55 Comments
Cayman News Service

(CNS): The Department of Environmental Health will be starting 2020 much as it has continued throughout this year, playing catch-up on garbage collection. Officials said on New Year’s Eve that the pick-ups, mostly in the Bodden Town area, which should have happened last Thursday and Friday would be dealt with today, Tuesday 31 December, and missed pick ups yesterday in West Bay will be collected tomorrow.

“The delays are due to an increase in waste being put out over the holiday period,” the DEH said in a release, apologising for any inconvenience caused.

It is understood that the dump’s compactor has been out of service this month, a common occurrence for the near $500,000 piece of equipment. But the problems at the department go deeper than issues during the holidays or challenges with one piece of heavy equipment. Delays in pick-ups and the piling up of garbage is an increasingly common problem.

With ongoing equipment and staff challenges, the department and ministry have spent most of 2019 apologising. But the minister responsible, Dwayne Seymour, who has consistently spoken of his embarrassment and concern over the problems with garbage, has after more than two years in office failed to implement any successful policy to address the issue.

See the newly revised garbage schedule on the CNS Notice Board


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Category: Environmental Health, Health

Comments (55)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Still waiting for collection! Glad we use junk to recycle or we would have overflowing bins!

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  2. Anonymous says:

    “Behind” is an understatement. I cringe when I think of what our visitors must be thinking as they tour the island 😢

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    • Anonymous says:

      I am so glad you choose to ignore to efforts of Caymanian DOE workers and blather on about your first world problem.

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  3. MERVYN CUMBER says:

    pStill waiting at S[otts. The press said Tuesday 31st, not which year.

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  4. Anonymous says:

    Fortunately I have a small utility trailer and was able to take my garbage and my neighbour’s garbage to the landfill on New Year’s eve. It’s now the second of January and we’re not had collection on Walkers Road since before Christmas.

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  5. MR says:

    The pickups were probably delayed as they tried to find a spot on mount trashmore to dump everything.

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  6. Anonymous says:

    civil service incomptetence is never ending.

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  7. Anonymous says:

    Firing RC wasn’t the problem or the fix, especially installing someone with no background in waste management?

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  8. Anonymous says:

    Fire Seymour

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    • Anonymous says:

      Sorry to say no Caymanian can manage this job. So many have tried and failed. Bring in someone with expertise from abroad to manage this once and for all.

      People need to be fired. There is. I other way.

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  9. Anonymous says:

    We had pick up on Boxing Day, which we were surprised by. Not the usual routine though – instead they were driving slowly from house to house, stopping to idle for awhile in front of each one, honking their horn. I presume that this was a rather bold effort to collect Christmas tips since it’s not something I’ve seen them do before!

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  10. Anonymous says:

    @12:35 “Or they are dressed the way they look on the photo?” Well I don’t believe they are a couple of guys hitching a ride to town. They just could be garbage collectors.

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  11. Anonymous says:

    The system is purposely set up to fail with
    a minister and DEH senior management in place with zero previous experience in waste management.

    The positions were given as political favours and not professional qualifications and also to engage a third party without any public concerns because fo their failure.

    # We had no rubbish collection since the 23rd of December.
    # Rodents population is exploding
    # Christmas clean up, rubbish is still sitting on the curb side since beginning of December
    # Feel sorry for the sanitation workers on the lorry taking the blame for inefficient
    management.
    # caymankind

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    • Anonymous says:

      The quality of life on this island goes down each day. And we can look forward to a 50 storey building and a new 10 storey Hilton and 10 storey Hyatt in 2021. Furthermore, the goal is more than 100,000 people. We must be an insane people totally under the control of the almighty dollar for everything.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Same here in South Sound / GTS… last pick up was before Christmas. The silence is deafening, Babs

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  12. Anonymous says:

    Was off Island for the holidays. Now back no collection a my house in GT. The island is full of stay over tourists and driving around garbage is piled up everywhere. Do better Cayman we look like a 3rd world country to our visitors. Fix the dump first. #voteno

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  13. Anonymous says:

    This department. What a mess. Not only is mount trashmore higher than ever, the garbage on the side of the road is too! We got bins from Junk and they collect every week which has majorly cut down our garbage pile so we don’t have issues when they fail to show up one week. Our neighbors bins are overflowing and chickens pulling it apart every day. It’s so gross. Everyone should look into recycling in the new year. Especially those in condos! Get bins on site and help clean this mess up!

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    • Anonymous says:

      Where do you think they store the ‘recycling’ on this island….

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      • Anonymous says:

        Junk sends it off island to be recycled by a company who has the facilities to do so… one phone call to them can help clear up any preconceived notions you may have.

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      • Anonymous says:

        They are in the containers ready to ship off island.

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    • Anonymous says:

      The reason this happens every year at this time is that the trash collectors call in sick days or take holiday days during every December and January holiday period.
      Disastrous management but nobody cares.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Just look at them on the photo. They look like vagrants, not sanitation workers. CIG keeps them in low regard. No motivation to work hard. Only incredibly stupid won’t understand the importance of healthy (protected from job hazzards), motivated (well paid) sanitation workers for wellbeing in the entire territory. Just 5 days of interruption in garbage collections would be catastrophic for this rock’s image, let alone expose its residents to the risk of 19th century diseases.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Our condo uses Junk. Skip cleared of our rubbish every week and it’s cheaper than the rates charged by government for (non existent) garbage collection

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  14. Anonymous says:

    My garbage collection is so infrequent and inferior that I’ve resorted to fly tipping when things build up. Case in point, the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

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  15. Anonymous says:

    DoEH please remove yourselves from the commercial garbage sector. No more skip rental & clearing, grabber truck services, etc. Leave this to the several private companies where we can hold them responsible. Get all businesses & multi-unit residences to comply with the current law requiring the use of a skip.
    FOCUS your staff and equipment on services for households with less than 4 units.

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  16. Anonymous says:

    So here is an idea. Have Jason Brown’s company (I believe it’s ICW, blue trucks) do the garbage pick up and recycling and screw the government because apparently our Premier cannot get his shit together to get the shit going right in this country. I guess he is too busy dealing with traffic congestion and cruise project, lol. What a mess!!

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    • Anonymous says:

      But where do they take the recycling?!

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    • Anonymous says:

      Where I come from in the UK garbage collection and recycling was privatised years ago and it runs like clockwork. At this time of year they simply re-schedule the collections for two weeks and then by the second week in January it’ll all be back to normal. It’s a little thing called proper management.

      I read elsewhere the compactor at Mt Trashmore is out of action yet again – that’s interesting timing for the holidays. Did it break down or was it broken? I bet if you took the staff there off salary and only paid them for hours worked those breakages would stop.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Only as long as you don’t pay them double for the overtime needed to catch up after the stoppage.

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        • Anonymous says:

          As 3:38 said, ‘only paid them for hours worked.’

          I’m also from the UK and roughly two years ago one of our privately-owned garbage trucks blew a hydraulic line during a collection – they fixed it out on the road and had the thing running again in about an hour. Over here it would be out of action for a week. That’s the difference.

          • Anonymous says:

            Yup. Because the CIG rules say they would have to take it to DVES to be repaired which, like DEH, is understaffed & undermanaged for the services they are expected to provide.

  17. Anonymous says:

    Dwayne Seymour like Tara and Austin are just useless politicians bought and paid for by the PPM.

    Nothing changes for the better…2021, hurry come!

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    • Anonymous says:

      I have to inform you but Austin Harris who is from my constituency has been doing a good job in the Community. We are pleased with his performance and will be re electing him. Tek dat.

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      • Anonymous says:

        When you have been bought and paid for by the Premier who lives in your constituency and has the people’s purse to spend to ensure votes in the next election, yes you will be seen as performing well in your constituency but what has he done for Cayman overall???

        Unfortunately, the recycling of these useless politicians continue because we as Caymanians are only concerned on how much they spend “our people’s” money on us or how many hams or turkeys they deliver throughout the year. The days of honest, stalwart Caymanians are long gone and replaced with greedy, good for nothing politicians. Building a playground in your constituency, or delivering bribes or treating for votes is wrong if if it is just glossed over as a politician being nice…They are not being nice or doing a good job, they are bribing you for your vote. It’s too bad you can’t see it for what it is..

        The dumbing down of Caymanians continues with building useless school buildings without classroom walls and where our children learn nothing and go to school hungry but as long as the government can send their parents to NAU for handouts, give them work for two weeks a year and throw them a ham or turkey throughout the year no one really seems to care.

        This Caymanian is so fed up. We are losing our country and our own individual independence..Where are the Caymanians with backbone and integrity? I can’t believe we can’t find 19 of them every four years..

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      • Anonymous says:

        Nothing like supporting someone who hits women.

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  18. Anonymous says:

    Waste collection has always been a more injury-prone occupation than most. In both fatal and non-fatal accident categories, refuse collectors are at high risk. Slips, falls, and trips occur with regularity, along with cuts and lacerations.

    Safety equipment is critical for these workers, and is must be supplied by their employers.

    Garbage collectors should wear protective gear, including goggles, nose-and-mouth masks, cut resistant gloves providing good grip on slippery surfaces, steel toed boots, hard hats, and reflective suits, all of which are industry standards.

    One of the most common problems for garbage collectors is lower back strain. One container may be empty while the next is filled with concrete. A Back Support Body Belt is a great way to keep people healthy.

    Hearing problems arising from noisy work sites and equipment are common among waste workers. Disposable and reusable earplugs are an inexpensive solution to this problem.

    Please now tell me that garbage collectors in the Cayman Islands are protected according to industry standards and don’t look like 2 people on the photo.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Great, but will this help get the garbage picked up?

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      • Anonymous says:

        An air conditioned new garbage truck with John John driving will!

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        • Anonymous says:

          The most common problem with garbage collection….. Dwayne Seymour need I as you more..

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          • Anonymous says:

            Dwayne is not qualified in garbage or health care..maybe he should stick with the security business and keeping the imported low income work permit sham going…

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      • Anonymous says:

        It will if it cuts down on sick days and related absenteeism. (Can’t collect the garbage if you don’t have the garbage men, which is what got the last boss fired as he was paying overtime to those willing to work to get the garbage collected.)

    • Anonymous says:

      Maybe they won’t wear it

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    • Anonymous says:

      12:52 To start off with they shouldn’t be riding the tricks like that. In most first world countries that’s illegal.

  19. Anonymous says:

    Shouldn’t the garbage collectors at least wear protective gear? Bright and comfortable pants and jackets to protect them from spills, gloves, sturdy shoes, eye protection? Or they are dressed the way they look on the photo?

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