DEH monitoring fires as it purchases new compactor

The Department of Environmental Health is looking to acquire a new compactor for the George Town Landfill, after engine problems rendered its half-a-million-dollar unit out of service.

Since the Aljon was taken out of service in April, DEH has confirmed there have been two “superficial” surface fires on the new tipping site at the landfill, the first on 28 June and then again on 16 July.

In a statement to the Cayman Compass, a spokesperson said the Department of Vehicle and Equipment Services was “assiduously working to repair the Aljon Compactor” which has been down since April this year.

Purchased in 2015, the ‘Aljon 500’ compactor has been in operation at the George Town landfill for seven years, and was expected to have a life expectancy of 10 years.

During that time, the Aljon Compactor has been plagued with numerous mechanical and engineering issues which have rendered it out of service for months on end – forcing DEH to rent equipment to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars, while paying out significant sums of money for replacement parts.

“The DEH is working closely with the Fire Service Department to prevent and control any fire at the George Town Landfill,” said a DEH spokesperson. “This effective partnership has seen only four fires since January 2022. These fires have been superficial fires and have been successfully and speedily controlled by the teams.”

During a previous interview with Cayman Compass, DEH director Richard Simms stated that the likelihood of fires increases without a compactor.

“We’ll always have landfill fires, but the big preventative measure is the compaction,” said Simms in October 2019. “So, with the compactor out, you will have space to build gaps.”

The “gaps” refer to air pockets which serve as an area for methane gas to build up.
Methane, a highly combustible gas, can eventually ignite and lead to fires of varying sizes and degrees.

The DEH says it has worked with the Cayman Islands Fire Services to install additional deep wells at the landfill and notes that a new compactor has been ordered – however, due to ongoing contractual negotiations, the cost of the new unit has not been disclosed.