Topic: George Town landfill
Half a century of Mount Trashmore
What started as an informal dump site in the 1960s has now become a protagonist in day-to-day life in Cayman. The Compass compiled a short history of waste management in Grand Cayman to explain how the island got to this point.
Winds carry dump smoke to South Sound
Smoke continued to emanate from the George Town landfill Thursday, eventually making its way to South Sound following a change in the prevailing winds.
Dump fires a decades-old problem
No need for Premier Alden McLaughlin to apologise for the landfill fires of this week.
It’s not his fault that the Cayman Islands government...
Dump fire continues to emit smoke
Cayman’s firefighters continued for a fourth day to grapple with fire at the George Town landfill, which made its way to the boundary line near the Esterley Tibbetts Highway on Wednesday morning.
Toxic landfill smoke a health hazard
At the height of the landfill fire, concern was concentrated on controlling the rapidly expanding blaze. But the smoke, which has been reduced from thick black clouds to an everpresent smog, remains an issue affecting people’s health.
‘Cayman kindness’ shown to landfill-fire crews
Residents and local companies show their Cayman-kindness to firefighters and DEH crews battling the fire at the George Town landfill.
Premier says sorry for landfill fires
Premier Alden McLaughlin has apologised for the landfill fires that Cayman’s firefighters and Department of Environmental Health crews have been battling for the last three days.
UPDATED: Esterley Tibbetts reopens after flare-up controlled
Lakeside and Watler's Drive residents have been cleared to return to their homes as the fire services say personnel were successful in their efforts to suppress the smoke emanating at the George Town Landfill.
Simms: Landfill fire can happen again
Department of Environmental Health Director Richard Simms said there are no guarantees that once the current landfill fire is doused there will not be another one.
UPDATED: Smoke still rising from landfill
Smoke continues to emit from the George Town landfill while the Esterley Tibbetts Highway remained open, alleviating the congestion seen Monday.
Dart: Landfill remediation begins this month
Remediation of the George Town landfill is expected to begin this month, the Dart group has announced.
Report: Sparks ignited landfill blaze
A fire in the vehicle recycling plant at the George Town landfill on 24 Jan. was caused by sparks which occurred while a car was being crushed, according to the results of a Cayman Islands Fire Service investigation.
Cause of landfill blaze still a mystery
Nearly a month after the car-recycling plant at the George Town landfill went up in flames, the cause of the blaze remains unknown.
“Investigations into the fire are still ongoing,” said Ricardo Charlton, the deputy director of domestic operations, at the Cayman Islands Fire Service. “At this time, we are not able to say the cause of the fire, nor can we give any information about any preliminary findings.”
Landfill fire investigation under way
An investigation into last month’s fire at the landfill is expected to be completed in the next two weeks, according to officials at the Cayman Islands Fire Service.
Car-recycling plant fire contained
On Monday, the smoke plumes had disappeared and the site was being monitored. A GIS statement on Monday said, “A small crew from CIFS along with the Department of Environmental Health and Island Recycling [which operates the vehicle-recycling plant] are on scene to extinguish any last remaining deep-seated pocket fires.”
UPDATED: Landfill fire contained, monitoring continues
Officials say the blaze at the vehicle recycling plant is under control, but smoke is still likely to be seen throughout Saturday.
Missing landfill worker declared dead
Nine years after she was last seen alive, missing landfill worker Anna Evans has been declared legally dead.
Landfill garbage compactor breaks down
A $450,000 garbage compactor at the George Town landfill has been out of action for two months while the Department of Environmental Health awaits parts for the machinery.
Work to begin on capping unsightly landfill
Work to cap and cover Mount Trashmore – Grand Cayman’s infamous landfill site – will begin early next year, according to a joint statement from government and the Dart group.
Landfill reopens after fire
The George Town landfill reopened Tuesday as firefighters continue to monitor a fire at the site.
Letter: Spend money on landfill, not piers
I really don’t get it. You have a potential environmental problem in what is known locally as ‘Mount Trashmore’ and the Cayman government is looking at whether millions should be spent on cruise piers in George Town harbour.
Fire closes public access to landfill
Firefighters on Sunday battled a fire at the George Town Landfill, at least the third confirmed fire at the site this month.
Fire Service responds to repeat landfill fire
The Cayman Islands Fire Service responded to the second landfill fire in just over a week on Thursday.
Firefighters tackle blazes at landfill
Firefighters responded to the George Town landfill Wednesday for a series of fires, according to a government news release.
Iguana cull numbers approach 850,000
For the sixth week in a row, Grand Cayman’s green iguana cullers have turned in fewer than 10,000 iguanas to the George Town landfill.
Surging iguana cull numbers approach 750,000
Grand Cayman’s green iguana cullers delivered 29,925 lizards to the George Town landfill last week, the largest weekly total since mid-December.
Letter: Don’t discourage recycling habits
Currently, we are deterring people from continuing to recycle, causing the most detrimental part of our island, the dump, to expand at a rapid rate.
Delayed Friday opening for DEH, landfill
The Department of Environmental Health’s main office will be closed from 7-9am on Friday. The George Town landfill will also be closed between 7-9am.
EDITORIAL – Being responsible for solid waste management
We welcome and support the Department of Environmental Health’s ongoing public education initiative to raise awareness among residents “about the importance of adequately packaging and handling household garbage”.
EDITORIAL — Good riddance to derelict vehicles
More than a few junkers were left so close to roadways, they threatened the safe flow of traffic. In short, it was a terrible mess.
Small fire extinguished at landfill
The Cayman Islands Fire Service extinguished a small surface fire at the George Town landfill on Tuesday evening.
Small fire erupts at George Town landfill
The Cayman Islands Fire Service arrived on the scene and contained the blaze that started between 8 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. on the southeast side of the landfill, according to the Department of Environmental Health.
EDITORIAL: The landfill saga continues – seemingly without end
The long wait continues, despite last year’s selection of a Dart group-led consortium to build and operate what officials like to call an “Integrated Solid Waste Management System” (or “ISWMS”) but what we’ll refer to as a “new landfill.”
Landfill contract will not be signed until next year
Work to close and remediate the George Town landfill site and replace it with a suite of modern waste management facilities is not expected to begin until the latter part of next year.
Day one of cull nets nearly 14,000 iguanas
Cullers delivered 13,819 green iguanas to the George Town landfill Monday as the first day of an islandwide cull to help rid Grand Cayman of the invasive species got under way.
Landfill burn
Today's editorial cartoon.
EDITORIAL – George Town landfill: Time to clear the air
Over the past two years, nearly 2 million pounds of trash have been intentionally incinerated at the George Town and Cayman Brac landfills, without the use of “scrubbers” – devices that remove toxins from the incinerators’ exhaust.
Man stabbed at landfill
Police arrested a 19-year-old man following an altercation in which another man was stabbed at the George Town Landfill Tuesday afternoon.
EDITORIAL – Replacing secrecy with transparency in government policy
Silence may be safe, it may be convenient, but it is not an acceptable strategy in a free and democratic society.
Brac incinerator fixed, but George Town’s now broken
The incinerator at the Cayman Brac landfill is back up and running after being in disrepair for nearly four months – a situation that led to untreated medical waste being dumped in an open trench there, in violation of public health regulations.
Before I met you
Today's editorial cartoon
Auditors conduct three-part review of landfill overtime pay
Government auditors are now conducting a tertiary review of overtime payments made to Department of Environmental Health staff, according to information obtained by the Cayman Compass through the Freedom of Information Law.
EDITORIAL – Is the landfill accepting derelict vehicles – or not?
Many issues of public policy are complicated. But many are not. For example: Is the George Town landfill receiving derelict vehicles, as Health Minister Dwayne Seymour insisted last Friday?
Government ‘never stopped’ picking up derelict vehicles, minister says
Contrary to statements made by government employees last fall, Health Minister Dwayne Seymour said Friday that the George Town landfill never actually stopped receiving derelict vehicles at any time during the past year.
DEH: Garbage pick-up resumes Wednesday
Garbage pick-up will resume in some George Town communities on Wednesday and Thursday, according to the Department of Environmental Health.
Dart waste management deal not yet signed
Work on a new suite of waste management facilities to replace the George Town landfill site is unlikely to begin until next year at the earliest.
The Good Life
Today's editorial cartoon
EDITORIAL – Government’s failure to pick up the trash: How hard can it be?
As our readers are well aware, dysfunction at the Department of Environmental Health goes beyond missed garbage pick-ups. When workers do collect the garbage, the problem then becomes where to put it.
Public’s patience wears thin with erratic garbage pickups
Dumpsters at the George Town landfill for people to drop off their own household waste overflowed into the car park Monday.
Fire breaks out at George Town landfill
Fire officers are working to contain a fire at the George Town landfill as of 1:50 p.m. on Wednesday. The fire is in a 100-by-300 feet area in the south side of the landfill, according to a government information officer.
Premier foreshadows more immigration changes
Although his annual speech to the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce Thursday was short on specifics, Premier Alden McLaughlin said further “radical” changes to local immigration and labor policies would be forthcoming during his national unity government’s term in office.
Letter: Everyone plays a part in waste disposal
Whilst fingers point to local government, accusing it of not doing enough, surely everyone, including tourists, should be playing their part in disposing of waste responsibly.
Landfill to close early on Friday
The Department of Environmental Health and the George Town landfill will close at 11 a.m. on Friday to facilitate a staff function, according to a department advisory.
EDITORIAL – ‘Trash talk’ from our local legislators
“Cash-for-trash” has a certain ring to it but, frankly, we don’t think it adds up to wise public policy.
Budget targets crime, education
Plans for an influx of 75 new police officers, a $9.6 million cash injection for education and funding for a series of major infrastructure projects were among the key commitments announced in the Cayman Islands government’s budget presentation Friday.
Bullseye
Today's editorial cartoon
Dump gone
Today's editorial cartoon
EDITORIAL – Mount Trashmore: Good news, goodbye and good riddance!
After years of anxiety (and for this newspaper, reporting and editorializing) over what the Cayman Islands is going to do about the hulking health hazard known as the George Town landfill, residents can finally rest easy: The government has reached an agreement with the Dart Group.
Dart chosen to build new waste management facility
A consortium of companies led by Dart Enterprises is in line to take over responsibility for waste management in the Cayman Islands in a 25-year deal that will involve the closure and capping of the existing George Town landfill.
EDITORIAL – The difference between statistics and the truth
It is said that numbers don’t lie, but they certainly can equivocate. We were reminded of that last week by two stories that appeared in the Compass, one about the George Town Landfill and one about unemployment figures.
George Town landfill reopens
The George Town landfill reopened this weekend, after its access road was closed following heavy rains last week. The Department of Environmental Health advised that the landfill had reopened on Saturday.
Rain closes George Town landfill
The George Town landfill is scheduled to be closed through Saturday because of repairs to the main access road.
Landfill fire problem extinguished
The periodic fires that have plagued the George Town Landfill site for years appear to have been brought under control.
Old news
Today's editorial cartoon
EDITORIAL – What should Cayman do about Jackson Point?
We don’t know (but rest assured, we are looking into) the magnitude of the disaster that could have occurred if firefighters had not been able to control Sunday’s blaze.
EDITORIAL – Reviewing the campaign and the candidates
The choices that voters make on Wednesday will have substantial consequences for the country and its inhabitants for the next four years and beyond. The campaign may be thought of as a sort of game. The election, on the other hand, is unmistakably real.
George Town Landfill: A growing monument to governments’ inaction
The issue is a long-standing toxic eyesore that dominates Grand Cayman’s landscape, presents an odorous nuisance for neighbors and poses a potential health threat to the Cayman Islands public. The George Town Landfill has been a fixture on the political calendar for decades but became a headline-grabbing topic during the United Democratic Party’s 2009-2012 administration.
EDITORIAL – George Town Landfill: A political issue that continues to burn
On the 2013 campaign trail, the Progressives had assured voters they possessed a “non-Dart, non-Bodden Town” solution to address decades of governmental inaction on the George Town landfill. As we now know, there was no solution; there was no plan.
Candidates clash over work permits, education at debate
Five candidates discussed work permits, employment and education, among other topics, at another in a series of national debates Monday night at the Arts and Recreation Centre in Camana Bay.
Auditors: George Town Landfill worth less than $0
The government cannot quantify how great a financial loss it will incur to remediate the George Town landfill, if and when such a project is completed, and the lack of any cost estimates has led auditors to conclude the territory’s environmental liabilities are “understated.”
Tire shredding begins at George Town Landfill
Work began Tuesday at the George Town Landfill to shred and recycle half a million tires that have been stockpiled at the site for more than a decade. The processing effort is expected to take around a year, Premier Alden McLaughlin said.
Family of missing landfill worker sues government
The sister of a George Town landfill worker who disappeared on Jan. 27, 2011 has filed a lawsuit on behalf of the missing woman’s estate and her five children. The writ, filed on Jan. 26, six years since 37-year-old Anna Evans was last seen alive at the landfill, is brought by Noreen Dixon against the government Department of Environmental Health.
