Health Hazard Threat Growing in Dumpster

Debris in front of warehouses on Red Gate Road.

Roydel Carter,
Department of
Environmental Health.

Tuesday,  July 12, 2005

A controversy is emerging on Red Gate Road where a growing pile of garbage made up of among other things food waste and cooking oil, which is seeping from a dumpster onto the road surface, in front of warehouses on Red Gate Road, is causing a health hazard.

Some of these warehouses near to the skip are owned and used by fast food enterprises, which seem to be getting the blame for the garbage problem.

The fast food purveyors accused of placing waste food there however, are pointing the finger at others to remove the ever-growing pile of waste in front of their warehouses. Based on the rules of the Department of Environmental Health (DEH), these warehouse owners are soon to receive waste and debris abatement notices from the Department.

The fact that the pile of debris has been there since September 2004 following Hurricane Ivan, and has been growing ever since, has angered some warehouse owners on the opposite side of the road. In addition, there are now serious concerns related to the deteriorating road surface and sanitation.

Other property owners’ concerns are even greater because while a clearly unhealthy and unsanitary situation continues to grow at this location, the warehouse owners continue to store frozen food and other supplies in the units while at the same time adding rubbish to the existing pile in front of the units.

One owner of property on the opposite side of the road told Cayman Net News: “There was no major clearing done after Hurricane Ivan. Some of the soaked and spoiled materials removed from those warehouses after Ivan are still under there.

“New rubbish is constantly being piled on top of old rubbish. As well, there is a dumpster in which used cooking oil is dumped regularly. Some of this runs out of the dumpster and seeps out all over. The grass around has become black, parts of the road surface are softening and, the drains around are totally blocked.

It is of great concern that the fast food owners continue to use the place as it is and, as well, make the situation worse.”

Flavio Franca, Manager of KFC said: “The administration or the people who own the property are responsible for cleanliness, not the warehouse owners such as ourselves and others. I don’t have a vehicle to move that stuff.

“The drivers from Environmental Health told us to dump the crates and so on the ground around the skip and not inside the skip. Before Ivan they (DEH) would collect all of that but since Ivan they have stopped.

“Garbage goes inside the skip but when DEH is taking that out of the skip some stuff drops on the ground and is left there. That builds up the unsanitary situation on the ground. I don’t know anything about the oil.”

Asked how frequently his company used the location Mr Franca said: “Every week we unload frozen and dry goods there.”

According to Roydel Carter of the DEH, the department is responsible for the collection of domestic garbage.

“Where debris and other waste needs to be removed, a dumpster can be rented from the DEH. The person renting the dumpster will be put on our service schedule and the unit (the dumpster) will be emptied regularly.

“If not overloaded, the dumpster itself will be removed, taken to the landfill, emptied and returned. Excess debris or waste material is the responsibility of the person or persons who put it there.

“We have inspectors who travel around and identify areas of concern. When there are cases for DEH action, abatement notices are despatched for the situation to be worked on. Now that this situation has come to my attention, I will certainly look into this.”

According to one observer, however, out of a sense of public duty, he already acted on the situation to some extent.

“About two or three months ago I went to the DEH, reported the matter and I drove one of the Department’s representatives to the location and he (the DEH rep) saw the situation then.”

John Jefferson, owner of the Wendy’s and Dominoes franchises said: “We have a unit there. It was only last week that I went there and saw the situation for myself. At that time I told my guys, you know something, I don’t care who put what where. Let’s just put everything in the truck and get it dumped. I told my guys that by next week they should take it away."

Back...