GT dump, dog pooh

How refreshing it was to read Brielle Watler’s letter to the Caymanian Compass (17 May, 2012) expressing her “1,100 per cent” opposition to moving the George Town dump to Bodden Town! The critical approach of this independent-minded 12-year-old student is in stark contrast to a letter to the Compass (16 May), and the uncritical support of the wealthy and powerful behind the dump move – Government and Dart – those who, in Brielle’s words, “…say that they love Cayman but are ready to sell it at the flick of a switch”.

That letter basically said, Mount Trashmore is too high; let’s bury it and start a new pile of trash elsewhere, which we’ll bury when it’s too high, and then begin a new dump somewhere else. Simple as dog pooh!

But, aside from the stench and the eyesore, a dump carries the danger of fire, explosions, toxic air emissions and contaminated leaching. A proper solution of the problem of Mount Trashmore – rather than what seems to be a “quick and cheap fix” – is vital for our environment and economy, and especially for the health and well-being of all residents of Grand Cayman, whether they be in George Town, Bodden Town, or elsewhere.

A massive fire this past February at the Riverton landfill in Kingston, Jamaica, has led to a forensic investigation following complaints of ill health and financial claims from nearby residents. An initial post-fire air study conducted by the National Environment and Planning Agency revealed an alarming level of carcinogenic pollutants – three times that of World Health Organization standards! And, while this disaster certainly highlights the risk of disease, death, material destruction, damage to our major industries, and the potential for staggering financial claims, the ongoing debate over the future management of the Riverton landfill has not elicited a single suggestion of moving it elsewhere.

Eliminating Mount Trashmore and assuring the proper management of the George Town dump are desperately vital. But, the solution is not “exporting” it elsewhere and contaminating a new site. In fact, a review of landfill management challenges around the world clearly underlines one cardinal rule – a dump is never moved unless absolutely essential. A dump is certainly never moved to benefit one private company bent on getting the dump “out of its backyard”. Dump problems are solved where they are, and dumps are never located in residential/agricultural zones, rather than industrial areas. Dumps are never created where neighbouring residents and property owners had no prior knowledge. Dumps are never located in wide open, environmentally sensitive areas vulnerable to wind and to disasters like Hurricane Ivan. Dumps are never placed far from the source of the waste, especially in the absence of a major roadway or any foreseeable plan to build one.

Aside from ignoring these universal, common-sense guidelines, the letter contains many inaccuracies and outright falsehoods: The UDP government had not “proposed” closing the George Town landfill.

In fact, after respecting due process and an open tendering procedure in late-2010 based on virtually every previous study and engineering opinion, the present government followed the Central Tenders Committee recommendation and awarded a contract to Wheelabrator to build a waste-to-energy facility at the present landfill site. It was Dart, not the UDP, which proposed moving the dump. With no public explanation at all, Government ditched its agreement with Wheelabrator, threw due process, transparency and good governance overboard, and went along with the Dart deal, although the CTC rated it the worst of all proposals considered, one which raised “great concern” environmentally.

The letter’s claim that residents of Bodden Town “…will not have a similar experience as those of George Town…” because Dart would be developing “…a state-of-art refuse disposal site…(which) would be properly lined and embrace best practices…”, is preposterous. The letter further claims that the proposed dump in Bodden Town “…would not resemble the current site…”. But this statement, based on no engineering background and no relevant expertise whatsoever, completely contradicts the independent opinion of Mr. Sam Small, a civil engineer with experience in the field of waste management, and with the GT landfill specifically:

“What Govt/Dart is offering Bodden Town is exactly the same as we have at the GT landfill, apart from a liner under the proposed landfill.” In Mr. Small’s opinion, building another landfill site in Cayman “…is a crazy idea, especially as it is it is miles from the source of the waste”. As to the various buildings in Dart’s “Phase I”, Mr. Small suggests a visit to the GT landfill “where you’ll see exactly the same buildings including the recycling centre. They remain unused”. As to the “Operations Plan” touted by Dart, Mr. Small expresses severe doubts: “The same operators who currently run the GT landfill will operate the BT landfill with the same guidelines of covering the fill on a daily basis as they are meant to do today…Why are we expected to believe that the same operators are going to suddenly do things differently from what they currently do. And how much extra funding will the new facility get from Government to guarantee it will not turn into another GT landfill within the next decade?”

This question and others, such as how Bodden Town would cope with the additional truck traffic added to an already critical level, are of course no concern to Lorna. Nor is Dart’s refusal to assume liability for the work it would do both in George Town and In Bodden Town, and for any contingent financial claims.

The fact of the matter is that, whatever the label – a dump, a landfill or a “cell” — there can hardly be anything state-of-the-art about unloading garbage, piling it up and leaving it there, be it in Bodden Town or elsewhere. As to the liner which is so highly touted – the sole distinguishing feature between the present and proposed dumps – all it takes to pierce it is the acid from one miss-sorted and overturned car battery. We do all agree that this is an urgent national issue that affects all residents of Grand Cayman, and that maintaining the George Town dump as it is, is totally unacceptable. All successive governments since 1983 deserve to be condemned for not assuming their responsibility in regards to the present landfill.

We now know full well what has to be done and what a responsible government would do.

We do know that, with the removal of the scrap metal, the structures already built, and the additional surrounding Crown land, the space and means are available for a waste-to-energy facility and for proper sorting and recycling procedures. Although Government’s lack of transparency has prevented public access to the details of the agreement, we can safely assume that if Government awarded the contract to Wheelabrator, financing must have been provided, and new revenue streams foreseen. As well, a cursory review of the millions needlessly squandered by this and past governments readily confirms that the “lack of funds” argument is nothing but a red herring.

Alain Beiner

Bodden Town