It is very good to see the Cayman Islands Government has finally, after so many years, progressed to the stage of issuing tender bid invitations to deal with the George Town Landfill. Doing something about the landfill, dubbed Mount Trashmore, is one of the most pressing needs on Grand Cayman.
Although everyone should be happy the government is taking steps to address the landfill problem, it is worrisome that the government seems to be pursuing the easiest solution and not the best one. For the long-term health of Grand Cayman, we firmly believe the government needs to get the solution right with the dump, even if it proves more difficult to get there.
The problem with the dump goes far beyond the aesthetic issue of having an unsightly, large trash heap dominating the landscape in an area close to homes, schools, office buildings, shopping plazas, restaurants and hotels. The dump also smells bad, and the odour sometimes wafts into the surrounding areas.
Beyond that, the George Town Landfill is also potentially very dangerous because of the combustible methane gas it is producing and because of the toxins it is releasing into the ground and nearby waters, including the North Sound.
One Cayman group of concerned citizens called Waste Initiatives and Sustainable Environments thinks the best solution is for a new solid waste disposal site to be created elsewhere, while there is remediation of the current landfill site to minimise the risks of methane migration and combustion, and to contain the toxins seeping into the ground.
The problem for the government is that creating a new, solid waste disposal site elsewhere is bound to upset people who live near wherever that site might be. These ‘not-in-my-backyard’ objectors would be loud and threatening and would no doubt bring a lot of pressure to bear on the government.
The truth is, George Town has borne the brunt of Cayman’s development for far too long. It makes no sense to continue having the dump so close to areas of high population, as well as to busy commercial and tourism activities. This is especially true when considering all the remote land available in the Eastern Districts.
It’s time to put the good of the country as a whole ahead of the good of the few, no matter how loud they yell.
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