Grand Cayman has a problem so significant — and so ignored for decades — that it now threatens both the economic health of our tourism industry and physical health of our residents. Regardless of the nomenclature you favor, we’re talking about, of course, the landfill, Mount Trashmore, and, more commonly, the dump.
Regardless of what we call it (“A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet,” Shakespeare reminded us. Conversely the dump by any other name would still smell as malodorous), finding a solution to Grand Cayman’s waste management problem must be viewed as the number one capital project for the Cayman Islands government — before cruise berthing, before airport expansions and before creating national parks.
The dump was quite literally the biggest issue of the May 2013 election. The People’s Progressive Movement swept all four seats in the District of Bodden Town, catapulting the party to power, by running a campaign focused on keeping a new landfill from being created in the district.
Staying true to their word, the PPM government suspended discussions with the Dart Group, which had proposed remediating the dump site and developing a new, modern landfill in Bodden Town.
We believe the Dart Group was (and may still be) an ideal private sector partner on this project, considering the company’s record of performance, solid financial position and vested interest in remedying the blight that hinders further development at Camana Bay. Accordingly, we believe the PPM’s dismissal of Dart’s proposal was parochial, politically expedient and short-sighted.
For clarity, let us state that we’re not at this time advocating for a new landfill to be built in Bodden Town, or for that matter anywhere else, specifically. But we are saying Bodden Town shouldn’t be ruled out.
What is obvious is that the current landfill is in just about the worst possible place it could be. It is next to the country’s best and biggest growing development, on the shore of the environmentally sensitive North Sound, off one of the country’s busiest roadways and on the route from the airport to Seven Mile Beach hotels.
In the coming days, the Caymanian Compass will examine Cayman’s waste management issues in a series of editorials, each focusing on a specific aspect of the gravest and most immediate threat facing the country. Topics will include:
The unknown toxicity of chemicals exuding from the dump and the potential financial risks to Cayman if the dump can be linked to serious health issues such as cancer
The damage being done to the natural environment and the misplaced grandstanding of lawmakers on a National Conservation Law while ignoring the dump
The negative first impression given to cruise and stay-over visitors, who experience the worst part of Grand Cayman before arriving at the best
The inappropriateness of political considerations to forestall decisive action on what is ultimately a public health issue; and,
The importance of adhering to a legal, transparent and public procurement process when executing what will be a highly technical and expensive waste management project
Providing a decent waste management system is a bare minimum requirement for any society to be considered functional. We urge urgency, not lethargy, going forward.
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There is new technology for treating the Mt. Trashmores on Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac. No new technology or solutions have yet been tried in the Cayman Islands and this dump problem has been affecting GC and CB for the past 30 years. A committee to investigate solutions to this killer issue should be convened ASAP! For an example of a solution to the tons of plastic waste that burn when there is a fire underground in our dumps, check out http://www.earth911.com. That is only one website that deals with solutions instead of rehashing the dump problems for decades.
This is a Grand Cayman problem, not Bodden Town or anywhere else. So may I ask who does want a dump in their town? Not a lot of takers I doubt.
Unless I am wrong, Mr. Dart had a solution for the problem some time ago and the powers that be did not see fit to proceed as the mentality was what’s in it for him instead of what’s in it for us. You can’t knock his way of doing things. He has a unique way of thinking and that is let those who know do it and those who don’t, stay quiet.
If we can’t do it ourselves, then let someone else do it. The dump is a health hazard and it’s time to get our heads out of the sand or possibly other places and stop letting ill-informed politicians make decisions about things they know nothing about. You wouldn’t have hired them as consultants before an election so why take their word as gospel now?
One thing I agree with everyone on is that there are plenty of options as well as new technology to deal with Cayman’s dump. The one problem is that there’s no money to pay for it, which is why you don’t see any of these this being tried. So get it through your heads, Cayman cannot fix this on their own. The reason is that consecutive administrations chose to spend money on things like shiny new buildings and nation building funds while ignoring this growing heap of trash. Then along came someone who offered to foot the bill and deal with it himself, but no, this was not the politically correct solution so that gift horse was looked in the mouth and chased away, which may I add got certain people elected to office. Meanwhile the garbage keeps growing and still there’s no national recycling plan in place, just keep dumping everything on the top of the heap.
Now the current leaders are looking for someone to come in and fix Cayman’s trash problems for free again.
I am sure the first words about Cayman from cruise visitors on arrival is "WOW! LOOK AT THE HUGE PILE A TRASH!" Even when I arrive by plane, it’s the biggest and most noticeable monument on Cayman’s landscape.
It’s a sick and stinking knife in Cayman’s back that will end up costing us hundreds of millions of dollars that we don’t have to pull out.
Finally priorities are set straight, at least by Cayman Compass. The potential liability CIG may be exposed could be huge, when people start tying the dump as the source of their cancers. I know one expat, healthy upon arrival just 2 years ago and dead from a very aggressive brain tumor. This person lived in Snug Harbor. Residents of the Lake View, the dump’s neighboring subdivision should certainly take note. Renters can move, but owners should take actions.
Understand the dump’s toxicity you are exposed to.
Acute Toxicity: An immediate effect from a short term exposure to a chemical substance. Some of these effects include injury to the lungs, liver,
kidneys or immune system, and neurological damage.
substance.
Subchronic Toxicity: An effect produced by a prolonged and continuing exposure to a chemical substance. The effects are the same as those incurred from exposure to acutely toxic chemicals.
Chronic Toxity: An effect produced by a prolonged and continuing exposure to a chemical substance. Such effects include delayed toxic reactions, progressive degeneration, tissue damage, reproductive toxicity and cancer.
Carcinogenic: Upon exposure, carcinogenic chemicals can cause uncontrolled cell growth, producing tumors, leukemias and other forms of cancer. An initial exposure to the carcinogenic chemicals may slightly alter the genetic structure of a cell yet begin the sequence of events leading to cancer. Many experts believe there is no threshold or safe level of exposure to a carcenogen. Since the length of time between exposure to a carcinogenic chemical and the diagnosis of cancer in humans may be 20-40 years, it may be impossible to link the cancer to a specific chemical.
Mutagenic: Upon exposure, mutagens can permanently change an organism’s genetic material, DNA. If reproductive organs are exposed, the damaged genes may then be passed on to the person’s offspring.
Teratogenic: Upon exposure to the mother, teratogrens can cause nonhereditary birth defects in the unborn fetus.
Letter to the Leaders.
Are you listening, fix this. It’s killing us.
If you can’t then let someone who can do it.
It’s crazy that there’s people who actually disagree with fixing Caymans dump issues. This just shows the state of mind some people have.
It is not just a THEM problem.
CIG? well THEY should fix it, MLA’s THEY need to do something… yadda yadda yadda – someone else needs to fix it, what can I do…
WE need to do our part too. It is also OUR problem and we can lead from the front. I went to a supermarket recently and when I asked where the recycling bins were Err, dunno, don’t think we have any.
Even when you do find some they are woefully inadequate.
Personally I take almost as many bags of cans, bottles and other recyclables, to whichever sites I am passing, as I throw away as traditional trash.
So if everyone on island made a little extra effort we could almost half the weekly growth of mount trashmore – yes it doesn’t solve the legacy problem but it stops it getting worse.
We are also stymied by the poor choices provided by our retail establishments. In europe there was a law passed that all packaging was to be minimised and of similar materials.
I recently looked at a container of USA oatmeal – it was a cardboard tube with a plastic lid and liner and metal end cap – really – how can that be recycled? I bought the oatmeal that came in a simple plastic bag as the lesser of two evils.
Maybe an additional levy on imported goods using poor packaging choices would help reduce the problem, for instance…
If you go to buy a soda, is it cheaper to choose a plastic bottle than a glass bottle or can? So, add a penalty tariff on the plastic bottle headed to the landfill and suddenly the right choices are also the cheaper option.
Ask how many million bottles Caybrew’s recycling policy have prevented from going landfill, then wonder why we don’t have a soda bottling plant on island to wash and refill ‘return and refund’ glass bottles, and instead of importing 5 container loads of plastic bottles you can now import 1 container of soda syrups. It is a simple case that the profit that is made from the plastic bottle is divorced from the cost of it’s disposal…
Tie the disposal back to the importer and see how quickly glass and cans replace those landfill destined bottles…
Something must be done – and soon! Think of all of the toxins leaching into the earth. Just the number of batteries which have been thrown away in household trash is enough to scare me! There is no question that this will be an on-going health hazard. Thank heavens for new organisations like JUNK who are trying to do something to encourage people to recycle! Still more needs to be done.