US firm to tackle dump
(CNS): Although US based Wheelabrator Technologies has been selected as the first choice to tackle the pressing and complex problem of the George Town Land Fill, the chair of the technical committee has said the selection is merely the first step in the negotiations over the future of the dump. Canover Watson told CNS on Thursday that the CTC had approved the selection of the technical team, which he chaired. He pointed out, however, that while Wheelabrator looked to be the best people for the job, there would still be significant issues to discuss with the firm over the best way forward and then, ultimately, the costs involved. (Photo by Kerry Horek)
Watson said that, on paper, as one of the largest companies in the US specialising in waste-to-energy, the team believes Wheelabrator has the necessary experience, expertise and the resources to address ‘Mount Trashmore’, but it is not yet a done deal.
There were ten responses to the request for proposals, which went out last month, Watson confirmed. He said that four did not meet the requirements, but from the remaining six three emerged as the front runners and Wheelabrator was the first choice.
“We gave very careful consideration to the six bids which met the criteria, given the complexities of dealing with the landfill,” he said. “Although we feel Wheelabrator offers the best solution, the details of the deal are yet to be finalised in terms of costs as there are a number of options for how the problem of the landfill will be tackled.”
He said Wheelabrator, which is part of Waste Management Ltd, a leading global company in the field, has significant resources available to them and is best placed to come up with a solution.
“At this stage, however, it is difficult for anyone to offer a detailed, definitive, fully costed out solution, so we will continue to negotiate how we move forward with Wheelabrator,” Watson added. He explained that the technical team has been asked by the ministry to stay on and continue to be involved in the negotiations alongside the ministry’s experts.
The next step now, he explained, was to meet with Wheelabrator at the earliest possible date in the New Year to work out the details of the project with an eye to starting to tackle Grand Cayman’s ongoing waste problems and the unsightly Mount Trashmore before April. “Once we have decided what the best options will be from those offered by Wheelabrator, we will go back to CTC to ensure value for money,” Watson said.
Unlike the usual tendering process, as this is a privatisation project which will still involve cost to government, Watson said it cannot be seen in the same type of tender, where a specific one-off job is required by government and to be paid for from the public purse. He said there were many variables with regards to the solution, as it will involve mining thedump, recycling and waste-to-energy production. He said there would also need to be negotiations involving CUC with regard the power generation.
“This is not a sign off but is a step towards the solution and we hope that Wheelabrator will be the company that can solve our waste management problem," Watson said.
Speaking with CNS, Cline Glidden, who is government’s project leader on the dump issue, said he was delighted that a firm had been chosen and that one of the most pressing issues which government was committed to addressing was moving forward.
“It is great to hear that someone has been selected and one of government’s key strategic projects will be moving forward. Many administrations have attempted to address this issue and have been unable to do so. I am excited about the prospect of finally moving forward with this,” the MLA said.
Category: Headline News
As far as publicity and bad press goes the Cayman Islands has spent a great deal of time and effort to ensure that any negative press surrounding it’s financial industry is minimized.
Think then for a moment… Statistics show that on average a person who receives an unwelcome or negative experience will communicated such to approximately 9 other people.
If we estimate that 20 million cruise ship passengers have seen or smelt the dump located directly in their view then potentially 180 million people have a negative view of what they thought the Cayman should be.
If a waste-to-energy plant is located at this site then many millions more will personally witness the eyesore and stench of the dump. Only this time with a large metal chimney stack sticking out of the island spewing smoke and ash. Surely that cannot be politically correct???
It would appear that little thought or regard has been given to the damage the dump has done to our island’s reputation.
It needs to be capped and turned into a green field site as soon as possible.
Let it be a shining example of how Cayman can tackle environmental issues with positive and beneficial result. The whole island and our visitors will see a beautifully landscaped park for families to go and enjoy themselves.
Let’s be proud of the decisions we make. For us, our children and our visitors sake.
Why does the dump have to be in the middle of our tourist zone?
Christmas Bonus?
Seems there were large "signing bonuses" offered to 26 Broward County Florida cities if they would approve the no-bid $1.5 billion garbage deal with Waste Management’s Wheelabrator by 31 December. Unhappy with the chief negotiator, Mayor Hersh from Weston, for negotiating without competitive bidding, the country commission has voted to look for a better deal. The mayor made an impassioned plea to salvage the deal, saying that "The bottom line is if this doesn’t get done quickly what you’ll have is all the cities going their own way." http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/12/17/1977354_p2/weston-mayor-takes-deal-to-turn.html . This sounds like a familiar case of substance over process. So, do tell, is there a "signing bonus" in it for some good or bad negotiator in Cayman?
Whilst a solution needs to be made in respect to the dump, peoples’ mentality to the garbage situation needs to be changes as a whole. In the long term, we need to find ways to minimize the garbabe and not only focus on how to deal with the garbage once it has been brought to the dump.
There needs to be a separate site set up where the gardening companies and individual households can dump their cuttings and clippings from the yard clean up. This stuff should be mulched and sold to the general public in return and not mixed into the landfill.
In addition, we need to get our head around how to avoid the constant use of plastic plates, cups and cuttlery. This society is completely out of control when it comes to the use of throw-away plastic and this Christmas has proven this once again. You can invest over the period of one year in some "party supplies" that can be reused over and over again. The cost of buying these is much less if you consider how expensive the throw-away plastic stuff is you are constantly buying. Also, stop using individual water bottles for parties – fill drinking water in jugs, or get a table pump for those 5 gallong bottles etc. There are many ways how you can reduce the carbon footprint when you are throwing a party. It’s just a mindset…
Unfortunately, people tend to use the easiest (not necessarily cheapest) route.
Remember – we all have to live on this planet together. It would be nice to know that our children and grand children will also be able to enjoy it…
Care, care, and a healthy dose of agression.
I’m involved with a vibrant local business that thought a "big player" in the field would bring the best ideas, technology, and people to bear on our problem. The reality, is that they are big, with lots of experience and a big group of lawyers, to deal with the problem of how "to extract as much money as possible from Cayman and do the lease amount of trash handling" as possible. Lawyer up, and have good representation before signing the deal. Waste management will have us wrapped in trash and paper before they actually deliver anything good to us if that makes them more $$$.
I was very happy to hear we are dealing with the dump, but don’t sign a deal with the devil. Pick a smaller organization we have some leverage and control over. Even the Dart organization has a self serving reason to make it better. Waste Management only has their shareholders and lawyers to answer to.
Canover, don’t play softball with this one. There is too much at stake. Prove your business acumen and coral this giant organization with a good contract if this goes forward.
Kent Green.
Hope your advice to Mr. Canover not to play soft ball is not too late and that this deal (?) was not rushed to completion by or before December 31, 2010 so as to be given a special signing bonus if CIG signed on the dotted line before that deadline… Unfortunately, Cayman’s leaders are too often just babes in the woods when it comes to "negotiating" with the big boys and therefore they fall for the sales pitch hook, line and sinker.
Quotes taken directly from the Conclusion of the San Diego District Attorney’s Report on Waste Management Inc.
"Waste Management, Inc.’s, methods of doing business and history of civil and criminal violations has established a predictable pattern which has been fairly consistent over a significant number of years. The history of the company presents a combination of environmental and anti-trust violations and public corruption cases which must be viewed with considerable concern. Waste Management has been capable of absorbing enormous fines and other sanctions levied against it while still maintaining a high earnings ratio. We do not know whether these sanctions have had any punitive effect on the company or have merely been considered as additional operating expenses."
"The company’s recent business practices and violations do not appear to be different from the past. We have been unable to determine whether Waste Management’s history, as reflected by this report, has been due to a failure of proper management, or has been the result of deliberate corporate policy. Whatever the case, the company’s history requires extreme caution by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors or any other governmental entity contemplating any contractual or business relationship with Waste Management."
"When viewed in the context of their established history of business practices, it is clear that Waste Management engages in practices designed to gain undue influence over government officials." "These practices suggest an unseemly effort by Waste Management to manipulate local government for its own business ends. If unchecked, these practices, like other more direct forms of improper attempts to gaininfluence, may have a corrupting impact on local government and lead to decisions unsuitable to the best interests of the public."
FULL REPORT: http://www.movementech.org/EBIC/company/wmx/sandiego.html
Thanks to Anonymous 20:21.
I don’t know about you all but I smell a dead rat in the pile.You all see how quick we can achieve credibility or too good to be thrue when we work together. Continue digging please before we make another costly mistake and then let’slook for sensible solutions TOGETHER for the Country as a Country.
Sounds like the perfect match up for the CIG to do business with. Now the only thing to watch for is whogets screwed this time around and of course very little will actually be done but large amounts of money will disappear. This is the way things are done on island. Dat not right?
Hey Very Concerned, your completley off point! Maybe its because your trying to make the population believe adressing our land fill problem will be a bad idea for this administration. Not sure on the motives but be advised we no longer pay garbage fees on per household on an anual basis. We now pay based on consumtion you consume more and dispose more you pay more. You consume less and dispose less you pay less. This structure was implemented by this administration in the form of a 2% duuty increase. It was designed to be a fairer system and one that looks out for the small man,
Our Strata is still paying garbage fees even though we are paying the additional 2% Duty.
Examining the information in that link makes Halliburton look like the Girl Guides.
Waste Management Inc is a very aggressive company. In our haste to solve our trash problem quickly we are opening our door to a really big dog. Trash might smell bad but it is a great business, mostly because it is a fee based monopoly once they get a contract we will be obligated to pay them for it – for generations.
Controlling a fee based utility is a very profitable business, which is why the waste industry has a long history of criminal ownership. At the end of the day it is another form of perpetual taxation.
Under-populated Cayman doesn’t generate enough daily waste to offset the capital and operating cost of a viable waste-to-power plant and our profitable inventory of burnable waste and recyclable scrap will only last a few years.
Waste Management Inc will only contract this project if it is guaranteed a substantial profit for the life of the contract
Given our government’s inability to calculate the value of the assets in the dump and the projected yield over the life of the contract it will very likely over-compensate the company and we will end up subsidizing the process from the public purse. A resent example of government’s lack of astuteness in its sales of our scrap metal; sold at less than a quarter of its value on the open spot market. But the few million dollars lost on those deals is only a drop in the bucket compared to the long-term value of thiscontract.
Our Government has a very poor tract record of cost management and in this case we will be entering into a national commitment with a very sharp, specialized company that knows every trick and angle in the book. Once the contract is signed Caymanians will be stuck with the deal, forever.
There are other choices, perhaps involving more community participation. I for one would sooner carefully separate my trash for intelligent recycling than pay a massive garbage-collecting fee.
What happens if my house sits vacant and since I don’t have any garbage I don’t pay the fees, will they seize my property and sell it? Almost like a property tax, the obligation is always there, no way to shut it off. Can I turn in my garbage cans like my vehicle license plates?
Waste "Management" is a recession proof business; the garbage fees keep rolling in, unlike CUC or the water company, who make a product, with a real cost and sell it: We only pay for what we use, waste is different. It is a contractual service that generates guaranteed revenue even when business is bad for everyone else. And if our population expands they will get a greater return on their original CapEx expenditure for plant and equipment. Additionally operating costs are reduced by volume, generating an even bigger return on their investment. A win-win situation for them no matter what way the economy swings. How smart is that? Now you know why organized crime likes this business.
How are we going to make a complicated, cost effective deal with this company? Apparently the government has experts on the subject, I sure hope so, but since they can’t even produce balanced accounts I’m a little concerned about their understanding of the word “expert”, especially on business matters.
Hopefully some very smart people will examine the proposal and its contract very carefully before it is signed. Maybe they will release it to the public for scrutiny (sic). Politically I am sure that someone or everyone in government wants credit for solving this problem. Unfortunately if it turns out to be a bad deal we can only refuse to re-elect the people responsible, we will still be stuck with the agreement.
This is very likely the biggest far-reaching decision that this administration will make. Since it can’t be undone, I sure hope they get it right.
Thank you very concerned 12:08. Your input is greatly appreciated.That’s what I’m talking about. It’s people like you who can get the ball rolling, The majority of us have never had to think this way regarding recycling as most of us have lived here most of our lives if not all of our lives and have not been exposed like many countries and states to organized recycling.Therefore many more of you are capable to do extensive research, come up with many out of the box ideas. One post was very accurate to say that many Caymanians specially of my generation do not own computers and therefore limited. Just imagine for a moment be able to organize a think tank capable of either advising our government or even participating in helping solve this(mess) pile of garbage if not in our lifetime, for future generations to come. working together as one focusing on the major problem at hand. i know in my heart it can be done, by first identifying things that should be avoided first and move on from there. I don’t know about you but that alone gives me a sense of not only achievement but would teach us that working together can only be good for all of us. thank you for that hope
wrong…..
the dump smells every day and can be smellt by perople in the vicinity of the dump…hence the problem…..zzzz
if a new waste management site was found in east end, there would be no smell as it would be a inceneration, recycling facility….
unfortunatly this island is ruled by nimby mentality and not by common sense
Any chance that Mount Trashmore may not always be the culprit but that sometimes the unpleasant odours are coming from fertilizer (organic perhaps?) used for landscaping of classy and ever-expanding nearby developments?
Will someone answer me this: Why oh Why does it take forever and then some to get almost anything "ACTUALLY" done!!!!!. Rhetoric, loads and loads of rhetoric. How long ago was that Mr. Bush said he was going to sort out the Divi Tiara problem on the Brac. Like Mt. Trashmore on Grand, Tiari is the Bracs eyesore, health hazard etc.. It just seems that all that happens is talk talk talk!!!.
Mount Thrashmore was placed in its present location by our forefathers who wanted it as near to the west end of the island as possible so that offensive odors and toxins produced would quickly blow out to sea. It is only in the winter season when the winds come from the west that the odors and toxins get pushed back toward the east. Most of the year our winds are from an easterly direction and this minimizes the amount of time that odors and toxins linger in the air most of us breathe.
Whoever would think that moving the landfill to the eastern part of the island is a healthy idea needs to have their brain examined. Move it east and then the entire population will be subjected to the pollution it produces, so I being a native of the eastern part of the island will join Ezzard and Arden whenever necessary to lie in front of the bulldozers to stop this from moving into my area.
Proper waste management is the only solution and this can be done effectively at its present location minimizing the amount of exposure to the people of this island.
You are mistaken, a new properly set up landfill in the Eastern districts properly managed with a buffer will work out best for the entire island regardless what the selfish minority of the Eastern and Northern districts say.
When will these minority populated districts realize the infrastructure needs of the country do not exempt the area with the largest unpopulated land mass in the country.
How selfish can you get? Me Me Me seems to be their slogan.
Sorry I meant to sign my name to if too good to be true…… Michel
Thank you for the site 12/24=12:21.Very interesting in deed. I am not an expert on the subject but I once regretfully learned the costly way that if it’s too good to be thrue it most likely is too good to be true. In my humble opinion Mr. Dart &Co. would have been the best candidate as he is the adjecent land owner. He never does anything half way( not to be confused with the Port project please, a possible conflict of interest there !?) and he was at the time very interested in the challenge. I am certain that the view from his highest offices ,penthouse ect. must be an eyesore not to mention the Ritz. I think that we must ALL be educated for now such as ways to minimise the pile. Crush your cardboard container, plastic milk bottles, etc unfortunatly Mr.Dart I am not a big fan of styrofoam(what can we do ?) We must find ways to recycle our aluminum and metals and maybe work out something with our ships returning to the US empty to send some things there as I said I don’t know but I want to learn.Hopefully get the mount down and plant grass with vents of course like in Florida. Of course the BIG challenge is what do we do in the future. Where, where,where? I’m a firm believer that if we can go to the moon, send satelittes to saturn, find the Titanic ect, We have very smart people in here and in the World why not offer a great prize or honour to those who could help us solve this in a smart amd effective manner, instead of paying another consultant that is well a little shady shall we say. One thing for certain we must be better educated so we can educate our NEXT generations. New 2011 resulation anyone? Less finger pointing, less mean negative comments and more positive helping solutions.As long as our intelligence is insulted of course.If 2 heads are better then 1 imagine even 25,000.
Isnt this great, we can all have our opinions listened to well at least known(thanks CNS)
But why do we publish under the tag Anonymous? Wouldn’t we be more efficient if we always published with our names you know that way we knew who actually agreed that any one of us is actually making sense.
I applaud the few that publish under their own name however for me it dosnt allow me the liberty of speaking the truth when sometimes it means admitting the whole system is full of s#$t!
Lol get it!
Well, Dart and "WISE" want to move the dump. How much more will that cost Govt? How much more to truck it, etc. Businesses that bought land near thedump becauseit was cheap and have developed now want to move it to increase the value of their investment. Hopefully a managed dump will reduce the size, reduce the smell and minimize the problem.
And Waste Management will cap it- a fine idea but the wrong contractor. A higher priority than dredging for mega yachts or berthing on the East End or quarrying on the East End or anything that’s on the top of Mac’s agenda. Price it out with competent, legit people and get her done! This and reduction of crime are the highest priorities for this island. The rest can wait.
The problem with Trashmore isn’t how to get rid of it, the problem is it’s not growing fast enough. My research indicates that as it develops into a true mountain, and attains the critical height of 14,650 feet, it will form the snow cap that Cayman desperately needs to offer year-round skiing, replacing the multi-billion dollar European industry that climate scientists believe will collapse with the advent of advanced global warming.
I’m relieved to see that some pro-active individuals are doing their very best to assist in this needed objective by driving SUVs with evocative names such as Avalanche, Tundra and Surburban, vehicles so cathedral-like, that when they expire, each will raise the level of Trashmore by several feet. During their productive careers, they will assist directly in the destruction of the European and American ski industries by raising the levels of CO2 by heroic amounts. What a beautiful symmetry!
This is one of the reasons that I am so very concerned that the lobby for the introduction of electric and hydrogen powered cars might be successful, following on the heels of the recent and retrograde prohibition of plastic bags in our Supermarkets. If our mountain is allowed to grow and mature, we will have to search for a better name, though. I don’t want to jump the gun, but ‘Crystal Peak Mountain’ does have feeling of purity and frostiness that would resonate well with the dive-ski tourists I believe. It’s a good starting point, anyway.
very well put. It’s clear headed thinking like this that will put us ahead of the curve in the race for global tourist dollars.
and of course a tip of the hat to the ‘look at my big assed car’ folks that without, this dream could never be a reality.
In my opinion and to address the critics… Wheelabrator aka Waste Management was the best choice that could be made. They have a long history of doing projects much larger and more hazardous than our current dump and they come with proven results. Not only that but they make over 13 billion dollars a year. Obviously a company that is as large as this Fortune 200 company is going to get the job done without hesitation.
XXXX At least however this company came with proven results and that is what matters at the end of the day. XXXXX But a local company is not going to be the company that fixes this mess we have at Mount Trashmore. It is larger than that.
I am sure that Canover and his team have a personal stake like we all do in this. He lives here…he smells the dump…he knows the environmental impact as I am sure all the other people on the committee is chairs does. So they are not going to make a bad decision that is going to put their lives and their homes in danger. We all have to live on this island together. So if Waste Management is the company they have choosen then lets see the process through and I am sure if they are a bad choice then another company in the companies that bid for the job will replace them. Common sense I think.
Please irrigate that vast, arid wasteland between your ears or take off your blinders or do whatever it is you need to do to do your due diligence.
Bitch and complain.. Bitch and complain.. Gitter done!!!
Wheelabrator is a subsidiary of Waste Management, the largest Waste Management Company Waste
The Wheelabrator website http://www.wheelabratortechnologies.com has an interesting video which shows how a typical plant works.
It looks to me that this is exactly what Cayman needs to solve the garbage problem.
Yes and our grand leader wants to add more to this mountain of trash by expanding our population. now that ain’t very WISE is it.
What a brilliant comment!
Yes it seems that these guys are really big…on lawsuits!
It’s a pity their website don’t say anything about their problems with the EPA. Check out this link…
http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2008/09/29/daily29.html
Take a good look at the picture that goes with this story folks. The picture says it all. Our dump is FULL. To make matters worse, the wind which brought Columbus here in 1503, continues to blow from East to West. It carries the amonia odor across the dump and toward a part of seven Mile beach between Queens Court and the Kirk supermarket. I have stood as far north as the Hyatt Beach Suites in the winter months when the winds shift Northwest for a day or two and smelled the dump there.
Is this what we want our future to look like? What happens when hurricane Ivan II hits next year? Will Mount Trashmore become the the Trasherhorn or grow even higher to Mount Trashervest?
Lets pick a new location to dump our waste and cap this landfill.
just like the gt port…the gov has choosen contractors with no details or proposals given…..
we are as much in the dark as we ever were…..
More like in much of the shady- a rose by any other name is Waste Management. Read up, McDuff.
You will continue to remain in the dark if you do not READ. If you are in the dark it is your fault.
This was a very public tender process over the last three months with a CTC review and selection. No politicians involved in this one.
The submission would have to be detailed for the CTC to select them based on the requirement of the RFP.
Before your speak you should read. It makes you look silly.
some very naive comments….
You cannot relocate the dump to the Eastern districts because Arden McLean & Ezzard Miller are against it. Granted together they represent about 10% of the country’s population but they will for a human shield or lay down before a bulldozer if necessary to get their way.
It would be funny if it were not so pathetic.
dart have been snubbed again!…as predicted the gov will take the rong spineless option….
i predict in 1 year we will have no definitive decision on this…..
dart were our only hope……
If you look at their website, it appears that their expertise is a lot more than what Dart has in this field of expertise. I think the Government has made a good choice by choosing a business that operates only since 1908…a bit more than Dart isn’t it?
I see a pie in the sky, a pie in the sky…..
There is no WAY to tackle the old dump – this can ONLY be going forward, and regardless, it is a farce. WTE is NOT going to work in Cayman,,,
Just wait til these guys sue CIGovt for misrepresenting their possibilities…
Trust me – the big guys play tough…
Why could the Port not have followed this process? good job guys
Aside from offering us a catchy "Wheel Abrating" name to talk about in the press, what exactly is Wheelabrator going to do??
There is one landfill on Grand Cayman and she is full. Hurricane Ivan topped her off, yet we continue to pile on to the point where we disgust-away visitors coming on cruise ships yachts and planes. It’s truly like the comical cartoon dump in Springfield on ‘The Simpsons’.
I picture Wheelabrator taking one look at thedump, saying: "Yup, she’s full.. let’s pick a new location on Island". Charging us $500k for "consulting" … then every person living East of Newlands saying: "Not in my backyard!!!"
A "leader" is somebody who stands up and says.. "WE ARE DOING THIS THING WHICH IS POTENTIALLY UNPOPULAR WITH SOME OF US, BECAUSE WE HAVE NO CHOICE. WE NEED TO DO "SOMETHING"".
If there is a God and he is watching over the people of Cayman, I pray he sends us a leader.
Wheelabrator is the same company that is known in the US as Waste Management Inc. XXXX
http://www.movementech.org/EBIC/company/wmx/sandiego.html
I feel sorry for the government and people of the Cayman Islands if they let this company into the island to handle the solid waste.
THANK YOU FOR THIS LINK, ANONYMOUS! At least somebody brought their game.
Blimey Canover, were you aware of this? What have you bought to our shores?
This report is nearly 20 years old. Think of how many things (including Cayman) have changed in 20 years. Do you have something more recent to bring to the table?
IF Cayman had any sort of EPA type organization, the dump (or to be precise, the Cayman Islands Government) would have been fined millions and millions for contaminating soil, releasing odour, water contamination, fires, improper construction, inadequate management…. the list goes on.
So what is worse? Allowing the CIG to continue with their inept and childish management of the Countries worst man-made economic and environmental disaster or let someone else with 100 years of proven experience of successful waste handling have a go at it?
And for the record, I work in the industry and if you research every waste management company in the world I promise you will find that they all get fined and they all have pollution incidents to clean up. This is due in part to tougher regulation and also older technologies from the 50’s and 60’s that fail years later.
8.08. Good points raised, but few thumbs-up I notice, probably because you deliver inconvenient facts rather than provocative, and therefore amusing, opinions. Also the thumbs-up, thumbs-down feature often refuses to register, CNS please note.
Again a local problem with a foreign solution. Well done Cayman. WOW.
the history of the dump proves there is no local solution!