From l-r: MLA Moss Kirkconnell and District Commissioner Ernie Scott, with Consultant Pearse Murphy at the waste management consultation meeting.

The Department of Environmental Health (DEH) plans to develop a waste management facility to deal with solid waste (garbage) generated on Cayman Brac. A public consultation meeting was held on Cayman Brac on Saturday, 19 July at the Aston Rutty Civic Centre, by members of DEH and APEC Consulting Engineers Ltd who conducted the feasibility study to ascertain the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The findings were presented after a year of study and consultation with various entities including DEH and Water Authority.

The purpose of the meeting is to edify the public on the findings. The EIA report will form part of the DEH’s application to the Sister Islands Development Control Board for planning permission to construct and operate the facility. Based on inclement weather, the full support of the community did not materialize and the team is planning to have a second consultation meeting to get public feedback on the proposals. A date will be announced through the various mediums in the near future.

The development will comprise an engineered landfill and ancillary structure for site accommodation, recycling activities, waste segregation and bulking of waste. The project will have a production life of approximately 50 years. The existing landfill is located in the south western area of the Brac. It is not designed to operate in a way that prevents environmental impact. For example, leachate has the potential to seep into the groundwater and subsequently into the surrounding’s sensitive ecosystem which are low lying ponds and lagoons areas. This will inevitably have a negative impact on the community.

As the current site is located in a low lying area it is also potentially susceptible to hurricane impact and in particular, storm surge that is often associated with major hurricanes. In the event of a major hurricane, then the unlined/unprotected landfill could flood and cause pollution of the surrounding area.

The presentation was conducted by Project Manager Laura Fitzgerald and APEC Principal Pearse Murphy. The design, construction, operation and aftercare of the landfill will be carried out in line with international best practice which has been developed for this project with reference to European Standards explained Mr Murphy. He further commented that the government is committed to moving away from land filling off all waste in an uncontrolled manner to a more sustainable waste management system involving recycling, re-use, recovery and proper environmentally sound disposal.
Ms Fitzgerald said with the new facility DEH will be able to collect recyclables such as aluminum cans, glass, paper, cardboard and plastics. Including in the plan will be a recycling drop-off-facility that will allow recycled waste to be diverted from the landfill, thereby reducing the amount of waste in the landfill. In this instance only the residual wastes that cannot be recycled will be in the landfill.

District Commissioner Ernie Scott commented on the measures of sorting the waste that will be collected by highlighting the fact that residents will not have the mindset to have several bins in their homes to separate the different debris in garbage. “Persons will have the meats’ leftovers along with cans, paper and board.” Assistant Director of Solid Waste Sean McGinn explained that there will be an educational programme to manage waste in the households and they will be targeting or focusing on the youths. “We plan to start the education process from within the schools as means of persons practicing such behaviour from an early age and passing this on to younger siblings,” he said.

The landfill will be divided into six phases. The DEH will progressively restore the sites on completion of each phase and will provide for all necessary aftercare measures in accordance with the international practices. As part of the design process there will be a 300 foot buffer incorporated in around the landfill footprint. The buffer will act in a number of different ways to lessen visual impact, ecological impact, noise and amenity.

Another concern put forward by Mr Scott is the number of flies on the public beach. Mr McGinn again explained that this occurs due to the proximity of the current land fill and the improper infrastructure that exists. The landfill currently is covered with marl twice per week and this contributes to the number of flies. The normal procedure is to have this covered on a daily basis but the venture is quite expensive. He also explained that the ground is sprayed on a regular basis with a special chemical to eliminate flies.

MLA Moses Kirkconnell questioned the disposal of oil on the current location. Mr McGinn informed those present that the oils are barreled and shipped to Grand Cayman; those that can be recycled were done by shipping them to the States, and the others are disposed of.

The proposed new plan will have limited negative impact such as dust, noise, odors and gas migration. Measures will be in place to circumvent such a problem. The proposed new site located on the Bluff near to the New MRCI building that is currently being constructed is away from populace and therefore theses limitations will not affect residents.

Resident Arlin Tatum said his only concern was the impact of water pollution based on the fact that many other residents live on the lowland and not on the Bluff. He explained that after he has seen the plans and measures that will be in place, it will be a solid framework that will only benefit the residents of the Cayman Islands.

A copy of the report will be located at District Administration building and the Department of Environmental Health for the public to peruse and send in their feedback on the proposals. Flyers will also be placed in post boxes along with another public consultation for the residents who did not make it to the first session. Mr Scott said it is only fair that the residents have a second chance to clear all ambiguity about the findings and proposals due to the inclement weather that affected the first scheduled session. Residents are urged to be aware of the next consultation session to give their input.