Three new trash trucks roll into action
(CNS): The Department of Environmental Health (DEH) will soon be able to catch up with its residential and commercial rubbish collection following the arrival of three new garbage collection trucks last week. The 25-cubic-yard McNeilus trucks rolled across Grand Cayman before daybreak Monday and officials hope they will alleviate the residential collection delays caused by equipment shortages over past months. At a cost of $149,419 each, the double-axle rear-loaders have supplemental safety equipment, such as rear-cameras. Drivers and collectors have already been trained in the new features.
Osbourne Bodden, the minister with responsibility for rubbish, handed over the three clean, green garbage collection vehicles to the department on Thursday, stating that they would address the rubbish "crisis we’ve had for some time now” and give staff who have been “working very hard to keep the service going under difficult circumstances” a chance to catch up. “I also thank the public for their continued patience, as the department works to return to its regular collection schedule in the near future,” he added.
The new trucks will operate on double-shifts, along with the four reliable ones already in use, but the department still needs more to bring the service up to the desired standards. DEH Director Roydell Carter said two additional collection vehicles for residential service, and two front loaders and two new roll-on-roll-off container trucks for commercial servicing should arrive on-island this summer.
Although things are expected to improve on the collection front, the public is being asked to check their collection schedule for their neighbourhoods and to continue to do what they can to control domestic garbage, including maintaining their personal garbage storage areas. Also, residents and visitors are reminded not to litter in public areas.
With the garbage collection crisis now averted, Bodden must turn his hand to dealing with where it goes. Coming under fire over the dump on Grand Cayman (a.k.a. Mount Trashmore) the minister has committed to addressing it on site in George Town.
Bodden told CNS that a steering committee has been created and already met to discuss the way forward in accordance with the Framework for Fiscal Responsibility agreement with the UK. He said that more details would be revealed soon about the plans for the future of waste management.
Category: Local News
WTF… successive governments have kicked the can down the road on so many issues that we are now in an extremely dire situation.
New Ambulances
New Garbage Trucks
New Airport
New Cruise Ship Landing
New Schools
New Roads
How about a NEW (NON GOVERNMENT) GOVERNMENT …. new blood, with real business and business management administration experience. Not political hounds that like to wag their tails and lick their paws.
There are corporate bosses out there that manage bigger business than the entire Cayman Islands. It takes a clear buisness minded strategy and Cayman can be put back in the driving seat. Let's get real about the problems we have and make it a priority to fix them!
All I can say is move the dump to BT. Thats it!!!
Gotta love the picture next to the new truck…
"See Cayman. I wurkin'. I spent some money and bought some new big trucks. Vroom vroom."
Reminds me of JuJu riding on the paving machine. What a joke. You are a Minister for God's sake.
This type of old school politics does work anymore. Delegate these smaller issues to the able team in the Department of Environmental Health and get on with policy issues etc.
Thanks for saying just what I was going to say.
Thank goodness we have the Minister of Rubbish wurkin' hard for us. He looks good in his shirt and tie and that big smile next to that sparklin' new rubbish truck. The George Town Landfill crisis is as good as solved.
How this guy got reelected is beyond me. Seriously, the best Bodden Town could do is him? And the the PPM goes and makes him responsible for the single biggest crisis this island is facing in the toxic George Town Landfill, which is poluting the North Sound, poisoning the ground water and stinking up Seven Mile Beach? Lord help us.
Ozzie I am humbly begging you to address a very disgusting problem, that is those people who throws their rubbish through their car windows onto the side of the roads.Sometimes back when we stillowned Cayman you could travel from one end to the other and you would never see a bottle, paper nor no rubbish on the side of the roads. Savannah , Newlands down to prospect is a disgrace. I had to say today that if poor Mr Jay was here with us he would certainly get a stroke. He took so much pride in keeping the roads clean. It makes much more sense for the Police to keep all eyes out for these scums who do not give a rip for Cayman and throw litter all over the roads. They should be heavily fined and made to help keep the sides of the streets clean for one year. Looks like some folks enjoy throwing out the garbage so that work can be given to those who do not work. Then we have some people who urinate just about anywhere. It was so embarassing about two weeks ago to stand in the yard and watch a Security man who was at the scene of an accident on Walkers Road peeing right there on spot. Please Ossie for Petes sake do something about this.Government will be able to collect alot of money as these low lifers are throwing garbage and peeing on the Streets all day long.
Totally agree. It is getting disgusting!
The way I see it, there are two options:
1. apply the littering law and fine some people
2. if you can't do the above then ensure that at least the major roads are walked at least once a week to pick up all the litter
right now, it truly looks like a 3rd world country………..
Which brings me to another question: Where are the district councils? Cause my understanding was that such issues would be dealt with in each district via the respective council………
and while you are at it, as the minister responsible for NRA, could you please ensure that the companies or individuals who are sponsoring a round-about are held responsible for maintaining that round-about on a regular basis, including the little "islands" or "islets" next to the round about. Especially the one by Hurleys………….
Move that stinking dump!
Why don't you relocate? If it stinks then move yourself upwind of it, or much farther downwind.
Because the dump is near the only part of the island worth living in if you work in GT.
Then it's a shame you didn't notice the dump was there before you signed a lease.
Because I built a whole city next to it thinking IT would move andnot me. Curses!
so we can get new trash trucks, but no new ambulances?
"Osbourne Bodden, the minister with responsibility for rubbish" lol
You better hope they don't have diesel particulate filters on them!
There are other companies currently operating commercial vehicles in Grand Cayman with diesel particulate filters. I am aware of Hino and Isuzu trucks.
Provided that the trucks use Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (less than 15 PPM), and the Diesel Exhaust Fluid tank is topped up as required there should be no particular problem with the DPF. Diesel exhaust fluid is know in some markets as diesel urea or AdBlue.
Posing for a picture with a new garbage truck is the highlight of his political career so far. You gots to love the 80's time warp our politicians are stuck in ROFLOL.
Now address Mount Trashmore before the next blaze chokes the island again
Now, lets move on to some new ambulances.
Great job Minister now the roads wont stink as much …. now how about you take care of the people of the Cayman Islands by insuring when they need an Ambulance one that is working will show up that has less then 200,000 miles on it or that its not braking down every other day it seams you all have this concept wrong in any develop society healthcare and education is taken care of first not brand new garbage trucks or fast police cars. The thing is i blame all the politicians that see the sometimes inhuman environment our EMT'S have to work with day in day out with out the proper equipment to save lives time and time again. It same like the only time politicians are seen up around the Hospital is when one of your Family members are in the Emergency room and they are playing boss wanting answers as to why the Ambulance took so long, well the simple answer is shiny new Garbage trucks ,brand new police cars , and outdated Ambulances that should be taken off the road Over worked EMT'S that don't get paid for there lunch time they are not allowed to take and a Government that is totally blind when it comes to Health Care.
Don't suppose they thought about trucks suitable for re-cycling rounds either
Really recycling trucks? what for ? your a DA
Mr. Bodden we need solutions now and not excuses when it comes to the topic of "Mt. Tashmore".
Please spare us the run-around and just do your job, thank you.
Regards,
CC
Concerned Caymanian.
DEH fired two long time mechanics (permit holders) who kept the old garbage truck working no matter how badly they were driven, to give the jobs to non-permit holders. Repairs failed, trucks got worse. Finally they broke. Solution……. buy three new trucks! How much did this cost?? Would it have not been less costly just to keep the two qualified permit holders in their job and wewouldn't be in this mess. Save a penny – waste a couple hundred thousand dollars. That's the Cayman way.
True about what you say about those mechanics They are still on island i see them often.
That said what happend to buying some 3 year old trucks from florida only about 40k
and reality is your new trucks are now used trucks worth about 60k
Money and no brains Keep up the good work
Why not buy trucks that are geared up for recycling? These are clearly not.
Now, let's make sure the drivers operate these vehicles as if they were their very own and not the Governments. That is the problem with these trucks, being driven like there is no tomorrow.
Thank Goodness! I'm so tired of the fly epidemic we have on this island now! and for the record, since garbage collections have been so minimal, I wonder if the Government would consider putting a decrease on our garbage collection fees for the months the trucks were out of commision.
Move the dump!!!
R.H. Drive trucks would be either custom, or have to come from the U.K. Adding cost and expense. plus the U.S. origin vehicles would be better quality,easier for parts sourcing etc…
US vehicles are better quality? You should do stand up!
Good! Now if we can train the garbage collectors not to throw down the bins upside down to prevent all the lose trash from coming out flying all over the road………….
Or from throwing them back in the pens so they break…
Thats so they don't fill up with rain. They are doing you a service
That will be why they throw the lid somewhere else then!
……………….and also to stop throwing the bins into the bush behind the enclosure specially made to hold the bins.
We have new trucks hmmm. The Minister needs to check himself with his attitude about George Town eh. Why should the dump remain in GT, the capital city of theses Islands, why did he make the pronoun cements he made without being aware of the extent of the problem, or did he know and just played to his Bodden Town audience to get elected. May the dump issue test on ya head till ya fix it and ya better do so otherwise it will be going back to you every scrap of it ya understand tired of the poli ticks.
I like the point where Osburn is reffered to as the Minister reponsible for Rubbish??? LOL
Why on earth would the government buy left hand drive trucks? This lazy decision significantly increases the chances of a serious accident. One serious accident could easily cost much more than the entire fleet put together.
dahhhh… cause its easier for the truck driver to exit his truck at the Lorna's gas station pump!
Are saying that Cayman should ban the importation of left hand drive vehicles? Do you have any analysis work, confirming that left hand drive vehicles are more prone to accidents than the person behind the wheel?
Here we have a major healh issue of uncollected garbage and you talking about left and right hand drive? I wonder what you would have said if that poblem got worse by workin with the existing fleet of trucks. Common.!!!
The evidence of the dangers of wrong side vehicles is well proven and much much higher than you would think. Some studies show an increased rate of accidents at about 25-30%.
2) Because its easier to see out the left hand side when pulling up to the curb by the garbage bins?
1) Because they were easier to source and cheaper to import?
Given the amount of left-hand drive vehicles on Cayman's roads how does three more garbage trucks "significantly increases the chances of a serious accident"? Statistics may be used to prove your 'significant increase' claim.
The "significant risk" is raised for accidents with these trucks specifically. The increased blind spot when turning and small reaction time effects add up to a risk that has been assessed at between 20-30% for using the "wrong" side. Over 4 vehicles this means it is very very likely that one of these trucks will be invovled in an incident because they are not correcrtly configured for Cayman's roads. The cost of this accident, putting aside the real risk of injuries, will more than offset any savings by sourcing the fleet from the US rather than say the UK or Japan.
People do not appreciate how dangerous left hand drive cars are in country where you drive on the left.