DEH: Recycling is real but still only 1%
(CNS): The management at the Department of Environmental Health laughed as they asked members of the press recently if we “believe” in the recycling programme, given the common perception in the community that separating domestic rubbish is a waste of time because it all ends up in the landfill anyway. Not so, said Michael Haworth, DEH Assistant Director – Solid Waste, and DEH Director Richard Simms, who gave the media a tour of the facilities at the landfill.
Haworth said that the DEH receives around 300 tons of recycling per year but about one third of that cannot be recycled for one reason or another. He confirmed that Cayman is still only recycling about 1% of the waste generated, but stressed that while “it’s a small operation, it is a valuable one”.
During the tour the press witnessed staff working hard to properly separate and process the plastics, cardboard, metal and aluminium and prepare the cubed bales for the next shipment. But Haworth explained that the centre still has a limited capacity. There are a number of complexities surrounding the recycling industry and a multitude of factors as to why the recycling is relatively low.
Nevertheless, the work still goes on to recycle some local waste and Haworth said some people welcome the opportunity because, for all the challenges, when something is recycled it prevents a new raw product from being created.
One of the limitations on what can be recycled is the demand for it on the international markets, which changes all the time. At present, only type 1 and 2 plastics have an overseas market, along with electronics, batteries, scrap metal and aluminium cans, which have the most value. Although the DEH also recycles paper and cardboard, Haworth explained that they cannot recycle it when it is wet, which reduces the amount of cardboard and paper recycling in the rainy season, when much of it does end up in the landfill.
Glass is also a key recyclable but it is not shipped overseas. All of the glass is now taken and crushed by Dart, which uses it in construction. Green waste is also recycled and currently used up at the dump along with marl to cover the garbage.
While Caymanians are getting better at separating their waste, the staff at the DEH still have a great deal of work to do separating and dividing the recyclables that now come to the centre from everyday garbage. Haworth noted that the DEH is heavily dependent on staff to sort the recycling, but most of all they depend on the public to start the process.
He pointed out that a significant education campaign will be required when the new recycling facilities are constructed, as part of the deal government has struck with the Dart Group, to increase the commitment from the public and persuading people to take responsibility for their own rubbish and the need to sort it.
“There is still a large population of people that are not engaged that maybe don’t buy into it,” Haworth said. “It’s important to get the information and education out ahead of that and… it will be a long journey to get from where we are now to the capacity of the new site, which will be many times larger.”
He warned of the dangers of people contaminating recyclables with regular garbage that will undermine the success, as has been the case in other countries. “We want to learn from other people’s mistakes,” he said.
Currently, DEH trucks collect from the recycling depots around the island, most of which are located at the supermarkets, six days per week. The DEH management team said that those who are engaged with the recycling programme stuck with it, even during lockdown, and the amount of recyclable material has not lessened since the pandemic.
While there is a very long way to go, the number of people recycling is steadily increasing and the key thing now is to push the message to everyone to be more aware of what they throw away and what can be reused and repurposed or recycled.
See more information about the DEH recycling here.
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Category: Local News
“To date, 12 Caribbean countries including Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Eustatius, Saint. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, as well as Trinidad and Tobago, have all placed a ban on the use and import of single-use plastics and Styrofoam.” Let’s join them.
1% ?
Better than 0.
“LIVE LONG THE DUMP”
Everyone should be charged for their waste if they go above a certain limit!
Carbon tax right around the corner, please.
Each person in cayman produces around 10-25lbs of trash a day. 4000, 6000 lbs a year. More than the weight of your car!
Yes, you’re responsible for your trash, just because you put it in the bin doesn’t mean it’s gone or it’s not your responsibility.
Are your children still your responsibility when they’re not with you?
Look at the younger generation groups of 50-100 kids doing cleans-ups.
Sub year 2000 generations have failed as for protecting the most valuable resource we have.
Earth..
Downvote me, to bad you couldn’t live next to the dump when it’s on fire the past X times like it’s the norm.
No, the dump wasn’t at this level 15years ago when I moved there.
It’s your trash, not the Government’s responsibility to deal with it.
Grown adults acting like kids and putting the blame on CIG to deal with everything.
Stop buying all kinds of things that your really dont’ need.
Fart tax
Recycling bins should be placed at all schools ,which in itself would be a learning process for our children . It will become a habit for them and can only reap great rewards.
And Also even the neighborhoods could benefit from this too, as you wouldn’t have to drive miles to throw away your items .
My children’s school does this through Junk. We got bins from them too. Yes it’s an extra cost but it’s important to show our children how to be a responsible human to the earth.
I stopped recycling once the facility at Hurley’s was removed. It was so disheartening to have it taken away with nothing in place.
For what it’s worth, I recycled everything I could, but to see all the general refuse that people dump in recycling areas is another reason to hate humans.
Idigress, but also people who smoke and throw their cigarette butts on the ground, they need a swift smack to the face. I mean, the lung damage is great, but it’s not quick enough for my liking.
All begging (ducking) the question then of why DEH isn’t pushing more recycling?
Regen needs the calories
People will recycle more if multiple bins are provided to households and condos, each for a specific recyclable item. That’s the theory. But…
(1) where would the bins go ? Many households have nowhere to store several different bins.
(2) who pays for the bins ? Usually, that’s the government, out of taxes collected.
(3) different bins will likely need different collection trucks, with special sections in the trucks. That means more trucks, which means more Govt spend.
(4) public perception is still that separated recyclables end up combined in the dump anyway, defeating public efforts. Govt needs to back up recycling with a robust and prolonged advertising campaign, likely paper, online and billboard, and TV specials showing how our waste is actually dealt with.
(5) recycling containers at public places (eg supermarket carparks) need to be more numerous. I’ve only ever found full bins, which discourages our good citizen efforts, and prompts people to “fly-tip”, dumping the stuff anywhere. More bins needed and more frequent emptying.
(6) have recycling bins INSIDE supermarkets, for non-biological stuff, such as batteries, lightbulbs, plastic coathangers.
(7) Lets get importers thinking about more environmentally friendly packaging. Excess packing needs to be put somewhere, once the product has been unboxed, so can’t importers choose products with less plastic, cardboard etc.? EG think about the excess packing that comes with Gillette razor blades.
Readers will have many other good ideas.
So there’s a long way to go, if only those in government and those in industry/commerce had the vision to get things going.
How do you get a local tv station?
15/06 @ 2:06pm – Really? Be innovative and practical! I use different containers (which I paid for) – plastic trash containers & large boxes to separate my recyclables. Guess what? Even without the colour-coding it’s easy to tell the difference because I’ve passed kindergarten stage. But if you get confused, you could always paint them appropriately – it’s not hard. I store them in my garage until my trips to the recycling depot. In case you or anyone else gets “yucky” visions – I wash ALL my glass, plastic and metal food or drink containers. Also… Foster’s Republix in WB has a receptacle for recycling batteries – not sure about other locations as I don’t use those.
Waiting on merchants or Government to provide purpose-made recycling containers is a lame excuse! I’ve seen those in other countries, e.g. Canada – sorry, Cayman is not Canada and our public services are not as advanced. So improvise!!!
Your comments come across more as “armchair criticism” than valuable constructive commentary!
PS, while it shouldn’t matter, it seems some posters have categorized support for recycling into “Caymanian or Expat” – a total myth in some cases. I know people in both demographics who DON’T recycle and people who DO!
If you were serious about recycling you would “just do it” and stop using flimsy excuses and sitting on your rear end waiting…….
Can supermarkets sell concentrated refil versions of the liquid detergents and fabric softeners etc. The present plastic bottles are very sturdy and can be reused.
I believe recycling centres should be set up all over Cayman AND include recycling in the regular garbage pick-up. Those households that do not sort their garbage should be fined.
If wet cardboard cannot be recycled tgen the recycling skips at tge supermarkets etc should be covered.
It’s laughable to think recycling will ever have an impact here. There are no facilities to recycle and the cost to prepare and ship all this garbage has to be more polluting than just throwing it in the landfill.
Add to the fact that only type 1 and 2 plastics are able to be recycled is maddening. That means you CAN’T currently recycle types 3 – 7. Just to give an example type 4 LDPE plastics make up 56% of all plastic waste. People will throw all these plastics in the recycling and most of what’s in there will just be transferred directly to the landfill anyways.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not against recycling. Back in Canada, we not only recycle but compost as well. But on this island? It’s about as pointless as washing your car during hurricane season…
Glass is the only waste that is actually recycled here. Plastics types 1 & 2 are collected and sent away for recycling off island, as is cardboard, and metals like aluminium, copper and steel. To say we recycle here is a straight faced lie.
Back in Canada, where people generate millions of tons of waste plastics. Have you ever researched how these plastics are recycled and how much energy and specialised equipment is required? Cottage industry might be able to make something out of other plastics, types 1 through 7 but there is little incentive and you would have to get everyone on board with washing and segregating plastic items even if there was enough to supply your operation. Furthermore CIG definitely won’t be handing out any subsidies or concessions for diverting these waste streams going forward. The economics of scale simply don’t add up on an island like they do on the continent.
You can tell the ones that recycle by the amount of garbage put out onto the sidewalk. If you recycle, 2 bins is NEVER overflowing, but it is if you don’t.
So those residents who don’t recycle should be ashamed.
where can i drop of cans now hurleys recycling has gone
Kirks or Fosters at Camana Bay
Fosters Countryside
15/06 @ 12:54pm – Foster’s Republix in West Bay
Chisholm’s
The WtE plants must not be built before getting the permission of local residents.
Living near environmental hazards contributes to poor health and disproportionate health outcomes such as:
• adverse pregnancy outcomes(including increased risks for central nervous system defects, congenital heart defects, oral clefts, renal dysplasia, limb malformations, chromosomal anomalies, preterm births, low birth weight, small-for-gestational-age births, fetal deaths, and infant deaths)
• childhood cancer (including leukemia, brain cancer, germ-cell tumors, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and Burkitt lymphoma)
• cardiovascular, respiratory and other diseases (asthma hospitalizations and chronic respiratory symptoms, stroke mortality, PCB toxicity, end-stage renal disease, and diabetes).
Even in the absence of complete scientific proof, enough evidence of potential harm being done exists to justify taking steps to rectify the problem and to protect the public from potentially harmful exposures when all available evidence points to plausible risk.
Therefore, site selection of waste-to-energy (WtE) plant is critically important.
Optimal site and compromised sites must be proposed.
The public satisfaction must be fully considered. Many factors of waste power generation project which may have an influence on surrounding residents, local environment, and even the operation and maintenance of WtE plant must not be ignored and fully considered.
Prohibiting the siting of WtE near schools and residences/hotels fall into the category of commonsense guidelines and constitute approaches that would be difficult to argue against.
And if you live near a swamp, saline pond or downwind of a reverse osmosis water plant you are subjected to hydrogen sulphide night and day. I could go on more about the long term health effects of a foul smelling gas that has about the same toxicity as hydrogen cyanide, but there is a reason that some people develop neurological problems. Look that one up!
It’s comforting to know that my efforts to recycle are not in vain. I am, however, disappointed with the abuse of the recycling containers by some uncaring individuals. Just on Sunday when I was dropping off my recycling behind Foster’s in Savannah, I saw that someone had thrown an old suitcase into the plastic recycling bin. I also often see other garbage in the recycling bins whenever I use them. The bins are often overflowing on the weekends, and sometimes I have to return home with my recyclables. Others simply throw theirs on the ground or on top of an already full bin. Each district needs a proper recycling drop-off location with a roof over the bins to protect from the rain, and there should also be centralised camera monitoring of the site to see when bins are full and to detect those violating the rules.
why do you only see expats dropping off stuff for recycling?
15/06 @ 11:28pm – That’s BS! Please stop fomenting divisions unnecessarily!! I’m not expat and have been recycling BEFORE facilities were available at supermarkets. Now I use those facilities frequently and I regularly see locals (i.e. Caymanians) at the recycling depot I use. Imagine if I were to sit there all day every day! But perhaps you should try that and see if you get a correct picture of the reality!!
Meanwhile, my neighbourhood solicited a proposal from a recycling collector (JUNK) and only 2 homeowners responded with interest. The majority of my neighbourhood are expat homeowners!!
It’s less of an “expat vs local” thing and more of whomever cares, cares and whomever doesn’t, doesn’t! Simple!
That’s sad about people not recycling. It’s not that expensive for junk. We love them.
3.19pm Sorry but at Kirks where I drop off recycling 3 times a week at different times of day you need to recognise there is a problem. I see many expats but hardly ever any locals. Expats are used to this system as they use it where they come from, but Caymanians have yet to take recycling seriously.
Not true at all.
another epic fail by cig and the civil service…
“Glass is also a key recyclable but it is not shipped overseas. All of the glass is now taken and crushed by Dart, which uses it in construction.”
What are they paying for this material? I am not dropping my bottles off anymore if this is where they are going.
It works for construction fill. Glass bottles being recycled this way is actually green. It’s better for Dart to use it for this purpose than for it to end up in the landfill.
Heineken and some wine bottles are green, that’s about it.
And that’s why Caymanians will never recycle.
This seems to me to be disingenuous remark.
Clearly, DART does pay for those recyclables, by employing staff and equipment to collect and crush them so they can be used in construction.
Personay, I applaud DART’s initiative, have supported it since it started and encourage everyone to do so.
I wish the government would start up a home collection, recycling system like they have in the UK. I think you would see a massive upsurge in the number of household recycling. Everytime I go to recycle the bins always seem to be overflowing which is very off putting.
I also wish we could recycle more than just 1 and 2 plastics. This only covers a small percentage and I think more could be done. Just some thoughts.
Yes if you are willing to champion the effort and donate the $$$