Landfill overwhelmed by green waste
(CNS): Six months after Tropical Storm Grace, storm debris and equipment problems are pushing the management of green waste at the George Town landfill to capacity. As a result, people bringing commercial quantities of vegetation from land clearance or forestry activity now need to book a time for it to be accepted by the Department of Environmental Health.
Officials warned that large loads of vegetation may be refused if preparations have not been made for its delivery to the landfill.
Members of the public and gardeners can still deposit domestic amounts of vegetation and yard trimmings at the George Town landfill at the drop-off facility, which remains in operation 24 hours a day for this purpose. The change to the system is aimed at larger loads that must now be coordinated.
A significant amount of green waste is generated from the land clearing and landscaping that goes on each day, and despite the islands’ shortage of soil, there is still no full composting system at the landfill.
Seven years after former premier Alden McLaughlin revealed plans to begin a comprehensive composting facility, there is very limited mulching and most of the green waste is mixed with marl to cover the dump itself or left to decompose.
A compost section has been earmarked as part of Dart’s proposed Regen project that would become operational after the waste-to-energy facility got underway. However, the deal remains stalled. Although the environmental impact assessment for the dump project continues, the government has still not confirmed the agreement signed by the former administration a few weeks before the 2021 elections.
Last week, Premier Wayne Panton said that the PACT Government still had concerns about the costs, and the deal would not be finalised until it had been properly scrutinized, the costs made clear and the gaps and risks addressed, although the government has few options at this stage.
In the meantime, the DEH will continue to deal with the vegetation brought to the dump. Officials apologised for the need for commercial operators to call ahead when they want to dump green waste and described it as a temporary measure.
For more information call the DEH on 949-6696 or email dehcustomerservice@gov.ky
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Category: Environmental Health, Health
Natural vegetation when burned makes an amazing fertilizer, and some seeds are designed to propagate via the heat of fire too bad that is banned these days.
Everyone should compost organic material. It’s such an easy thing to sort out on this small island but government lacks forethought.
I hate nothing more than trucking my yard waste to the landfill. Would be so nice if they have designated drop off for shredding and composting. Cost can be recovered by selling it too.
The PACT Government saw the DART incinerator for what it is, another DART opportunity to rape caymanians for 50 years, while rewarding the AlMac Governments continued benefitting from DART.
Corruption at work.
That project was only to benefit DART.
I guess the complete mismanagement of our waste/landfill/recycling over the past 40 years is also Dart’s fault?
Beacon Farms can accept green waste from landscaping companies in North Side and East End, provided loads are yard waste only and free from any plastics or non-organic materials. We mix green waste with shredded paper and cardboard to make a nutrient-rich compost.
Please call ahead to 947-9800 to arrange a drop-off time for green waste.
Be still my beating heart! Am I really seeing this? A positive contributory solution??? I can scarecely believe my eyes.
Are you certain you don’t want to rant a bit?? I think you’ve earned it.
Anything that makes a dent, makes a difference, and her you are not only making a difference, but ending up with a useful end product. Well done!
I will be using your “donate” feature from your website, and encourage others to do so as well. https://beaconfarmscayman.ky/
p.s. I’m certain you know that seaweed makes a great activator.
Sargassum can contain lots of heavy metals – be careful with it as a compost
Well done Beacon Farms.
Franz, we spend millions to fail to do something while a charity staffed by volunteers does it with no issue and is asking us to take materials to them to process at no charge. They turn it into top quality soil and grow crops!
There is no clearer demarcation of just how crap our governance is. The civil service should be hanging it’s head in shame.
They are not staffed by volunteers but yes.
OK. Even better. Staffed by addicts. Heroes confronting their demons. Franz, your civil service is a disgusting waste. Give even some of the money to Beacon farms. They deserve it. They would do good with it. They would make Cayman better in consequence.
Nothing stopping all the yard companies and commercial land clearers using the private sector, Beacon Farms, or anyone else. But they don’t because its easier to dump it on Govt for free and not have to worry about it. – Let the Govt start some programme to encourage proper handling of plant debris by those generating it and hear the screams that they expect Govt to take it off their hands for free.
The key phrase in this article “equipment problems” every CIG departments get out of jail free card for no accountability. The guy who’s repairing this is probably the same one working on the radar, CCTV, garbage trucks, license plates Id, ticketing machines at the airport. You get the point. Does anyone see a pattern here?.
Let us burn it at home
Agree to an extent. When I was a boy, people would burn, but with consideration: They would chop bush/cuttings up fairly fine and let them dry out, so the smoke was minimal. They would burn only on relatively windless days and good neighbours wouldn’t burn when there was laundry on the line. We would actually tend the fire, and ensure it was out before turning in for the night.
What a world that was — actually considering your neighbour’s welfare.
I think that lack of consideration has likely been the primary contributor to our loss of that privilege.
Try composting it instead of burning. Makes great mulch.
Would like to know whatever happened to the Radar, still doing maintenance? It’s almost been a year, hurricane season around the corner,and not a word from a highly paid Civil Servant.
So much good waste, going to waste, wanting the wastefulness to stop, as the wonkers play out political turf battles, whilst other ready themselves to milk the cow.
Wayne is full of prunes. The cost was known and agreed. PAcT might not have liked the cost but it was known and made public. What was left was to agree or decide how much CUC would pay government for the energy bit. The problem is that PACT has largely ignored the deal and by missing the financial close in September will likely have caused the final cost to increase. So Wayne it is your fault if the price is not now known. And it is your fault if this falls apart.
If they knew the cost and just let it increase what do they expect now – for it to magically come down? If CIG can’t get this project done which solves the biggest problem on our islands I can’t see how anyone will ever bid on another PPP project ever again!
Presumably if they don’t like the price they will either cancel the project or re-negotiate the scope, the terms or the price. Standard stuff in contract negotiations with a business.
Cancel it and do what? Not saying do at all costs but seems odd that if the price was agreed and made public then delay by current government isn’t due to price perhaps.
“the cost but it was known and made public” – What was the cost? Where was the contract published? Since we know.
Crazy idea. Lets create a waste to energy plant. Let see if that works. Oh wait the government can’t get it together enough to accomplish that.
8.03pm We need a waste to energy plant installed in the Govt Admin Building.
Right now it’s just a landfill.
Doesn’t DEH mulch ALL vegetation waste by now???
Disgusting!
#worlclass. Right Franz?
Fun fact: some of our tropical green waste is poisonous when burned and can damage eyes. We’re not in Kansas Toto.
Hardly worth mentioning when they spray god knows what for the mosquitos and the dump polluting the water supply.
The dump is surrounded by monitoring wells controlled by DEH, and the deepwells which water is extracted from are tested regularly for hazardous chemicals by scientists at WAC.
Both of these departments use potable water so if there was an issue I don’t see why it would be hidden.
Boy you is foo foo
How? Because you have a conspiracy that government authorities are knowingly covering up toxicity? Do share the proof.
What exactly is “forestry activity”???????
“on the bay”, in the Jennifer bush, at the crack of dawn with only white rocks for personal hygiene activity….
possible definition of “forestry activity”
Lot clearing
Would have made some good energy in a WTE plant.
Too much moisture vs calorific value.
Gotta leave it out in the sun for a while before WTE. Let mother nature work her magic for FREE!
What is going to happen when they start the demolition of Lacovia? Where will all that construction waste go?
And Aqua Bay and all the other greedy condo owners on FMB.
As regards the vegetation grind it up like Beacon Farms and convert it to mulch. Does CIG not think these things out.
They’ll just dump it in the sea by FIN with the rest of it.
@5:26 In the mangroves.
Ground up to make the new beach at the Marriott 😉
Wouldn’t be too worried about that ! That project isnt viable
Never mind that, the concern with Locovia is the beach erosion and more empty million dollar condos residing in foreign investment portfolios
100% unsorted into landfill.
Let keep stacking it up at the dump, we then might be able to reach god in the clouds to see where we are going wrong, I eared they are laughing at us up deya!