The editorial board’s position on the George Town landfill is that the Cayman Islands government needs to close and remediate the current dumpsite, and create a new solid waste management facility.
We’d like to clarify what we have in mind. But first we’ll tell you what we don’t, and hopefully clear up a misconception that has persisted stubbornly in some quarters of the community: Closing and remediating the current dumpsite does not involve taking the garbage out of the George Town landfill, loading it onto trucks and transporting and burying it somewhere else. No, it stays where it is.
To “close and remediate” is much simpler and more practical. It means:
Stop putting waste into the George Town landfill.
Cover the existing landfill cells with dirt, and possibly a membrane, to reduce hazards from fires, leachate, storm water runoff, vermin, windblown dust, and other undesirable contaminants.
Ultimately, use the closed landfill site as a park or other community facility.
Environmental agencies in the U.K. and U.S. have detailed guidelines and processes in place to direct closure and post-closure care of old landfills of all sizes and containing all varieties of waste. This is not new ground (or garbage) we’re plowing.
On-site remediation is a proven method to minimize environmental risks from closed landfills and eventually reclaim the land for the benefit of the public.
In large, developed cities, closed landfills can be ubiquitous — and yet to the ordinary citizen, practically invisible. For example, there are about 80 landfill sites in the vicinity of Austin, Texas, of which only five are active. Many of the closed landfill sites, spread throughout the city’s urban core and outlying areas, have been reborn as public parks and green spots.
Promotional tourism materials for Winnipeg, Canada, highlight a dump-turned-park officially called “Westview Park” (but popularly known as “Garbage Hill” — their colloquial equivalent of “Mount Trashmore”).
On the other side of the globe, Hong Kong contains 13 closed landfills that together occupy about 740 acres. The government has started to convert the closed landfills into sports facilities, parks and other attractive venues.
Closer to home, the George Town Cricket Oval — now a popular recreational area used on an everyday basis — is located on a former dumpsite that predates the current landfill.
Another positive point is that any new waste management facility would be started from scratch, with — at a bare minimum — properly lined landfill cells, and ideally the flexibility to incorporate features such as sorting, recycling and perhaps even waste-to-energy technology if its installation is financially affordable and its long-term operation is sustainable.
Naysayers such as the Coalition to Keep BT Dump Free have warned that any new landfill would inevitably turn into a new Mount Trashmore. That, however, is entirely speculative and, with proper management of the facility, entirely preventable.
Today’s battle, however, is all about the George Town landfill.
The Compass editorial board, along with the people of Grand Cayman, will deserve to declare victory over this toxic menace when the first blade of green grass emerges from the dome of Mount Trashmore.
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Cayman Compass, this is the same deal Dart was seeking. There’s nothing different here. Rather than placing trash in someone else’s back yard, close the dump and complete a recycling plant on the existing site. Why should we contaminate and devalue properties for a new site? Is it because most of the people are middle class or poor in Bodden town?
Ozzie, keep the dump or whatever they want to call it out of Bodden Town.
So after all this public debate, the Editorial team are only proposing what we have now with only exception is the new facility will have a lined base. Well, that is truly pathetic if you ask me. Did the board stop to think that the location of the current landfill is in the only zoned area of heavy industrial and what surrounds this lovely site when it is remediated, which going to attract these tourists and residents alike.
Maybe it is the concrete block plant, the 3 concrete batching plants, the West Bay Road sewage works or the 2 asphalt batching plants and the rest of the heavy industry located there.
And in your own words from Dart’s estimate was going to cost $50M to remediate and relocate the site, which is half the cost of the mass burn plant, which will not create another landfill, which was only going to last another 20 years and then we have the same problem again costing index linked another $26M to solve.
Will your logic it starts to make sense to build the expensive WTE plant as it will save money over the next 20 years. Without the recurrent cost of transporting most the waste from dense located population to the middle of nowhere, ie lots of return trips with empty trucks for miles at whose cost?
This was the flaw in the Dart Proposal and thus is the flaw in your proposal. I think they say in the U.S. your just be busted! If you want really solutions which are cost effective, then read my letters to the editor of this paper for the past 3 years or start working on some of your own!
I believe the various district representatives have explained what was proposed. Taking the trash from George Town and taking it to Bodden Town was never mentioned, and I doubt if anyone ever thought that this was the case. But, this point have been re-emphasized again and again as if people are too stupid to understand this. I understand that the existing dump can be capped and turned into a park, the problem is that capping it will not remediate the toxins that will continue to leach from it. The country needs to work out a way to remove this problem and avoid future like problems. The point to a waste to energy plant is a costly proposition for Cayman, but it would be a disservice to us all not to move the conservation on to financing possibilities.
How the continued operation of the dump and the proposed new plant will impact on one of Cayman’s large corporate citizens future plans should likewise be assessed, but not by beating around the bush.
Reading todays editorial Dump Remediation – What it really means. I was most satisfied with the explanation given; however your final paragraph was a bit crisp and two words sent my ears up. They were Speculative and Preventable To speculate on a subject, am I correct to say that word can mean; Yes, no, or maybe so. If I am correct, then I do not like that word Speculate.
Preventable: To exercise thoughts followed by actions in preventing something from taking place.
So am I now correct in assuming to say: Yes, no, or maybe so, with proper management all will be well.
I am just fishing with words, but still have room to be corrected.
To the commenter at 10:56:42 am I believe you should spend more time listening to Town Talk with the real people of Bodden Town, I trust you have not had the opportunity to listen to Town Talk because that is what the majority of people in Bodden Town have been hearing, including myself. The people of Bodden Town are not stupid and do not need to travel anywhere to have commonsense. They are just ordinary citizens who are eager to know the truth; which I believe was explained quite well by the editorial. Now to the next page. What are we going to do to fix the problem.
Does the Dart offer meet all the guidelines of the environmental agencies in the U.K. and U.S?
If it does not, which guidelines does it not meet?
Yes, Twyla, this is Bucky, John Franklin, soldier, father, husband, Bodden Towner and Caymanian, first cousins even.
Since poor old me was the only one who posted on the time reported, I feel obligated to respond.
If that is what is being reported at town talk, thanks but no thanks. Who is reporting that?
The people of Bodden Town had enough common sense not to split their votes this time.
As a (NCOIC) Non-commissioned Officer in charge of several federal installation, I did not just travel and return. I returned with the experience of working within the most modern and best finance organization on this earth. I have two Arcoms to attest to my experience and involvement. The Colonel I reported to and whom I strived to emulate could run circles around your average politician when it come to engineering. The country of Cayman government facilities is minute to a US Army garrison. Bet you did not know I was also a drill instructor. So as for the Brer Nancy, and Master Willie stories about the dump getting up from GT and walking to BT, give me some credit for having traveled.
Give it a rest, people. It’s time to drop the whole Dart deal thing. The PPM have already made it clear that that option was off the table and I doubt Dart is interested in getting involved any longer anyway so it’s time to move on to what will now be done to fix our garbage issues. After all, it would be better for Dart if the dump is remediated with him having to pay for it anyway. Eventually something will have to done it anyway even if it costs us all an arm and a leg and you can best believe it will.
Everyone keeps hyping on these Waste To Energy options, but what is it about that fact that Cayman cannot afford it that you folks don’t get. So let’s start talking about realistic options if there are any. It was the PPM who said during their campaign that they had viable options to fix the dump in place so it’s time to stop going back and forth with each other and demand they speak on it so we can stop all the speculation. They are keeping quiet about this for a reason while we fight amongst ourselves about what to do.
The only place we are going to get answers from is the PPM, so ask them one simple question and that is ‘What are your plans for the GT Dump?’ They were able to quickly put out a tender for the tires conveniently right after the fire but what about the rest of the garbage. Why after a year have they said nothing about it outside of the Dart Deal is off.
They did promise transparency as well so it is time for them to live up to that promise and be transparent about the dump.
Correction to my last post what I meant to say is that it would be better for Dart if the dump issues were fixed without him having to pay for it. I’m sure he would be more than happy if it was paid for by the Caymanian people instead of him even if it’s done in place.
Eventually mount trashmore will have to either get capped or removed anyway so I’m sure he’d prefer not to have to pay for it.
Well Buckey thanks for the ID. However I believe the topic is about the George Town dump, and Town Talk at BT am I not correct?
I do not see where anyone is querying, what ever job you undertook; and Thanks but no thanks I thought you would have known by now that I am not a Levy.