145k tons of rubbish reflects problems of growth
(CNS): Last year, the Department of Environmental Health managed 145,590 tonnes of garbage compared to less than 39,000 a decade ago. This is just one of many figures revealed in the Cayman Islands Compendium of Statistics that reflect how the surge in population has had a major knock-on effect on numerous infrastructure and community issues in 2022. However, the growth is now outpacing the compilation of statistics as this new report is already out of date.
The report, published by the Economics and Statistics Office, pulls together a plethora of numerical information about the Cayman Islands last year, from the ratio of teachers to students to the number of people receiving government financial assistance.
But with the population surging, the estimated headcount across all three islands at the end of 2022 was 81,546, which has since been surpassed by several thousand people. According to the Spring Labour Force Survey published this month, the population is now estimated to be around 84,000.
The latest statistical report paints a picture of a country clearly growing at an unsustainable pace. Given the population growth, the number of households has grown from 25,561 in 2016 to 34,133 at the end of last year. However, at least another 2,500 people have been added to the count in the first part of this year, so that number, already unprecedented, has increased significantly.
The number of school-age children has increased by around 1,000 since 2016; ambulance callouts have doubled over the same period; and in just four years, the number of people in rented accommodation has increased by 4,500. From just nine false fire service callouts in 2011, the fire service dealt with 193 last year. A grand total of 9,437 traffic tickets were issued last year compared to 6,745 just six years ago.
All of these increases are largely due to the increase in the number of people now living in Cayman and placing a strain on resources.
As the workforce soared over the last few years, the number of work permits also increased, especially in the construction sector, which was once a Caymanian-dominated industry but is now dominated by permit holders. In 2022, there were 6,149 work permit holders employed in construction, more than double the number six years ago, calling into question, once again, the sustainability of development.
Since 2012, the number of rooms available for tourists has grown from 4,923 to 7,331. On Grand Cayman, the number of planning approvals for houses has increased by 38% since 2015, but the approval for condos and apartments — more likely to feed the demands of tourism than the current housing crisis — grew by more than 75%.
One alarming figure is the increase in the number of new drivers. In 2012, the number of people who passed a driving test was 1,198, but by 2021, this number had grown to a whopping 3,413. At the cargo port, staff handled around 144.5 tonnes of goods per hour in 2017, which rose to 187.7 by the end of 2022.
Random increases reflect specific issues. For example, the price of eggs skyrocketed from $2.29 a dozen six years ago to $8.41 at the end of last year due to an egg shortage post pandemic, and the 73% growth in the number of goats on the islands resulted from more government support for farmers. However, most of the growth is being driven up by the rapidly increasing population.
See the compendium here.
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Category: Local News
Just too many damn people. We got to halt this run-away train – if not we are headed for a major, major disaster/distruction.
We need to build the engineered landfill in Bodden Town, and use the methane to create electricity and use that electricity to power government electric vehicles. WTE is not the way forward.
We are so far behind that in the UK , the WTE plants are now required to use carbon capture to reduce emissions to zero. By the time we build a non scalable WTE facility the technology will be 20 years old.
every house should be given 2 wheelie bins (one for recycling) and a compostable waste bin and the appropriate use enforced with fines against the land title.
My household only produces 2 kitchen bins worth of waste a week because we recycle or compost everything we can – it is no effort at all.
2 kitchen bins per week is actually average. Not sure tour compost efforts are to be as lauded as you think. Too much self-praise there.
The self-praise helps the composting process.
What happened to Vision 2008?
Mac and his crazy ass gangs made sure that wasn’t introduced, instead he gave out massive status grants to many criminals and their families.
1.11pm We have to wait for Vision 2000.
Greed have blinded some, the others are dead!!!! No vision around here.
Failure to wear seatbelt tickets, 600+ in 2016, to less than 100 in 2022.
I could write 100 tickets a day purely for that offense, on one busy road.
Still, I guess it’s not important, what with all the great driving we see on these roads.
Either enforce the rules, or scrap the law.
Ahh, we found the true problem of Cayman … seatbelts.
Nope, but if you read through the document you’ll see some interesting figures.
Injuries due to people not wearing seatbelts cause insurance and healthcare prices to rise.
Of course, with more people here, we’ll also expect to see more foolish comments like yours.
It’s not about the seatbelt, it’s about many laws selectively followed to the detriment to many in Cayman.
What happened to banning single use plastics?
It was a stupid idea to begin with.
So many bodies, so much consumption, but still canāt get normal services executed properly on a first attempt.
This DING DING DING is the winner! Try and call DEH and see if you can get anyone on the phone. If you’re building a place you’ll need their “Engineering” Department to come out and they will tell you they have a 3-4 week lead time to do so…how does that happen? What are they sooooo busy engineering that they can’t do their jobs?
Try the same trick with Planning…call the office, call the work cell phones, send emails to anyone there and let me know who calls back.
We don’t have a “growth” problem. We have a “keeping up with your damn job” problem at a time when we’re growing. All this growth is taxed. All the imports, all the fees, the diesel going to CUC…everything. And it’s all taxed at a very high level specifically to fund the government services that need to be funded to cope with the same growth that’s being taxed!
It should work just about perfectly. With every marginal increase in population via immigration there should be a commensurate increase in taxation/fees that covers the government services required by that new person/people with extra to serve as a cushion and to offset the needs of those already here.
It should be a damn utopia and the math to prove so is not that hard. So what happened exactly? Enter politicians and CIG. These are the inertial forces which tip the scales backwards and screw everything up and leave the rest of us struggling for answers and writing stories and comments about “growth problems”. In this country, growth is supposed to pay for and solve its own problems. It’s time to start asking why that isn’t happening.
We are too small.
We have a functioning port.
Pay someone else to recycle it off island.
Has always been the way in cayman to that as construction work permits for largely Jamaicans increase, the crime rate and number of awful drivers on the roads increases.
the number of awful drivers driving off the roads also increases š¤£
Racist!.
Jamaicans are not a race. Although they do win races, just not car races.
The population growth would not be an issue if the government were in any way capable but they are literally third world quality politicians, and as a result there is no public transport system (which is disgraceful and embarrassing), so everyone has to rely on a car – itās not difficult to build a public bus system that has set stops, timetables, modern air conditioned buses and reliable drivers (not the terrible little mini buses with people who should not be on the roads at the wheel of them because they cannot drive properly), also the garbage issue would be signed by the new waste facility but again the politicians are to blame for that not having been built. Lastly what type of fools build an airport in the middle of the main town Centre (George town) so all traffic has to queue round it causing massive congestion – you donāt build heathrow in Westminster or JFK in Manhattan – terrible planning, third world management and personnel. Would be better ti have direct Uk oversight of all government departments really.
Valid points, other than the airport. A place this small hasn’t got many options for placing runways. It was built, but there’s little that can be done now other than mitigate around it.
‘One alarming figure is the increase in the number of new drivers. In 2012, the number of people who passed a driving test was 1,198, but by 2021, this number had grown to a whopping 3,413.’
Its alarming however you look at it, is it really population driven or just more bad drivers being gifted a pass
I wanna know about harmful emissions from the incinerator thatās has been spitting fire out that chimney?
Construction fit out projects use much material!
It is not just a problem of growth. It is a failure of the civil service to anticipate, acknowledge, or plan for the growth.
“Fire!, Ready, aim.”
5.20pm Bulls eye!
You got that right.. what a damn mess.
Our government is not being transparent with the public. The issue is that there are way too many people on island and to pay for new infrastructure is to increase the population to pay and maintain existing infrastructure. They will always be behind which means constant inflation, more destruction of our environment and our way of life completely changed.
Im not sure where your leaders want Cayman to go. Its fine increasing the population with the right skilled work but importing crime and people who have nothing but crime to offer? More rubbish walking the streets to be honest looking problems
I predict the in two years we will need two Landfills
That must include construction waste as well. Those numbers equate to every person producing 11 lbs of garbage per day every day for the year – not possible…
It includes yard waste and commercial wasteā¦.
The solution is obvious. Keep building hills. The grassed over dump hill is lovely. Cayman can easily outpace the rising seas by producing more and more waste.
I’m half serious and half joking.
And halfwit
… ok, now please pass the spliff to the left.
And yet the building continues … smdh
What’s the problem, Sleepy Roy, Sweet Boy Joey, Full Moon Jon-Jon & Sir Alden will sort it all out once they are in power again!
There are many more than 84,000 people here. The blind adherence to defective ESO data which seemingly (and unapologetically) takes no account of persons on TWPās or other short term permissions, or any of the thousands of tourists and others not reflected in the ESOās numbers, sets Cayman up for failure, every time.
Anyone wants to know how many people are here, ask Customs and Border Control, and the Registrar of Births (and deaths), NOT the ESO.
Mr Panton – what is the latest on fixing the dump? Your latest self imposed deadline was 30 September (2 weeks ago) and still radio silence as usual.
I’m not expecting much from you at this point as you have missed all of your previous deadlines – however an update (and another excuse) is about due.
The correct question is, September of what year? ššš
I’m not sure how many more different you can highlighting that the island infrastructure simply cannot cope with the amount of people on it.
But yet the CIG just choose to bury their head in the sand (as they do will all major issues) and keep going as if all the trash, all the traffic, full schools etc. are totally fine and normal. Pathetic.
Maybe fix the damn dump?
While the dump is a problem the issue detailed in this article goes beyond that.
The simple fact is there are too many people generating too much waste.
Think of waste managements like a bucket, the bucket has a hole drilled in the bottom that lets out some of the water you pouring into it. The problem is you are filling that bucket with a fire hose and the biggest drill bit you have to make the hole bigger is a 1/2 inch.
see the problem? it doesn’t matter mow many holes you drill, the water is coming in too fast.
What an odd way to attempt to explain an issue. Awful example.
Yes, and implement the long-talked about, long-awaited recycling program. I would guess that a third of our refuse is recyclable. Also not often talked about is construction waste, and especially demolition waste. Much of that can be reused/repurposed if we aren’t always in such an [expletive] hurry! Set demolished lumber and other things aside for people to take and reuse.
Finally, the agricultural waste, such as landscaping, etc. There should be a separate place in the landfill for these things, and they should be chopped or chipped down fine and bagged for mulch. Same goes for the Sargassum. In much of the world, seaweed is chipped and bagged for sale as seaweed meal, the best all-purpose and complete fertiliser a person can acquire.
common sense aint common! This is progression for a few and destruction for many. Keep it up and lets see how many flee wwhen this island starts to cannibalize itself.