A new interim lined landfill, to be created while a long-term waste management solution is found, could extend the life of the George Town landfill to 2036, the environment minister has said.
Minister for Health, Environment and Sustainability Katherine Ebanks-Wilks delivered an update in Parliament on 30 April on the government’s efforts to address waste management as the George Town landfill nears capacity. Her comments came two weeks after a major fire broke out at dump.
Ebanks-Wilks told legislators, “If we keep sending the same volumes of waste to the same place, the current landfill will reach capacity by the end of 2030.”
She outlined plans that include the new landfill, mandatory commercial material recycling, new equipment, a ban on single-use plastics, and an eventual long-term solution.
As reported previously by the Compass, the government plans to build a lined landfill beside the existing one.
Ebanks-Wilks told the House, “The core of our plan is a new lined landfill adjacent to the current tipping area. It is government-owned land, referred to as Site 4. This is where we will construct a new engineered landfill, built to modern environmental standards, a long shot from what we have today.”
She added, “This is not a stop gap. This is a deliberate, well-considered infrastructure decision that extends the operational life of the landfill to 2036 – provided there are no major hurricanes – protects the surrounding environment and provides the stable operational platform we will need while the permanent solution is being developed.”
That “permanent solution”, the minister said, involved “developing a modern, integrated waste management” system.
A steering committee to concentrate on that long-term plan will be in place by the summer, she said, with an outline business case that identifies a preferred solution, its cost, land requirements and environmental performance ready by fall 2027.
She added that government would not commit major public funds to a waste-management project “before it is fully scoped and costs are defined”.
As well as a budget of $6 million for landfill improvement work this year, the minister noted that $2.7 million has been allocated separately to buy two compactors, two dump trucks, a bulldozer, a medical incinerator, a tire shredder and two fire wells (hydrants). Another $2 million is expected to be budgeted next year.
Recycling
The minister also outlined future recycling plans, which include mandatory recycling of commercial material, which accounts for 49% of the dump’s contents, two-thirds of which Ebanks-Wilks said were recyclable. She said there are also plans for a new recycling facility to increase sorting and processing capacity by 2029.
Residential recycling depots would also be expanded, and public education campaigns on responsible waste disposal were being developed.
Ebanks-Wilks added that drafting instructions had been issued to amend legislation to ban the importation of eight types of commonly used single-use plastics.
Daily cover
To lower the risk of dump fires, the minister said approximately 4,000 cubic yards of soil is being placed over the landfill surface to suppress heat, limit oxygen exposure, reduce odour and pests.
“Cover is a permanent feature of daily operations, not just a one-off response to the fire,” she said.
Two new compactors, one for Grand Cayman and one for Cayman Brac, are among the new equipment that will be purchased, the minister said, as “consistent compaction is key as it reduces fire risk and extends the site’s operational life”.
She noted that when last month’s fire broke out, the landfill’s primary compactor was out of action pending the delivery of a part in May.
Air quality
Ebanks-Wilks also acknowledged air-quality concerns by people in George Town who have been affected by the landfill fires.
“We are assessing what our current monitoring network tells us about air quality during and after the fire, evaluating what additional capacity is needed to give residents the continuous location specific data, and I will report back to this house when that assessment has been completed,” the minister said.
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