Public outcry as glass recycling suspended

As the world’s leaders gather at COP27 to address the climate crisis, environmental efforts closer to home took a step backwards on Monday.

The Department of Environmental Health announced that glass will no longer be accepted at its recycling depots across Cayman.

The move comes amid concern, which was raised on social media this weekend, following a notice at Camana Bay that said the glass recycling operation had been “suspended indefinitely”.

In a press release, the DEH stated the move was the result of “our stakeholder’s decision to discontinue the processing of this material”.

Dart issued its own press release Monday evening citing ‘safety concerns’ as a result of equipment issues.

“After a decade of continuous use, the glass crusher is nearing the end of its productive life cycle,” it said.

“We are currently exploring ways in which short term operations can resume while long term, larger glass recycling options are integrated into ReGen, the Cayman Islands Government’s National Solid Waste Management Strategy.”

Glass has been recycled in Cayman since 2012, when Dart received a a small industrial glass crusher that had the capacity to deal with 1,500 pounds of glass per hour and crush it down to an aggregate size that can be used for road construction or as fill.

At the time, a decade ago, Dart said approximately 66 million glass bottles from alcohol alone make their way into the George Town landfill, according to Cayman Distributors. Dart’s landfill experts estimated that 10% of all waste in Cayman came from glass bottles and jars at that time.

Dart, whose recent marketing campaign touted the company’s green credentials, state on their website that “Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. Whether that’s leading the way in recycling with our glass pulveriser, using solar, geothermal, and rainwater to generate power, or installing turtle-friendly LED lights in all of our developments”.

DEH seeking ‘alternative arrangements’

DEH Director Richard Simms explained the DEH does not have its own facilities to carry out processing and thanked Dart “as we seek alternative arrangements to the recycling of glass”.

The DEH advised the public “Glass will have to be disposed of instead of crushed for reuse. The public is advised to incorporate these materials in their regular garbage for collection until further notice”.

Dart’s press release added that it was proud to have pioneered glass recycling in Cayman.

“The glass crushing programme has diverted thousands of glass containers from the landfill.”

Compass reporting last year revealed glass bottles weighing 382 tons were processed on island in 2020.

The step backwards for island-wide recycling efforts comes as climate talks – in which Cayman is represented by three young environmentalists – started in Egypt.

Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley hit out on Monday at the failure of richer countries to tackle climate change.

She said small islands, including those in the Caribbean, would face the greatest consequences of rising seas and intensifying natural disasters, while industrialised countries had enjoyed the economic benefits.

“We were the ones whose blood, sweat and tears financed the industrial revolution,” she said. “Are we now to face double jeopardy by having to pay the cost as a result of those greenhouse gases from the industrial revolution? That is fundamentally unfair.”