(CMR) The George Town Landfill is expected to reach its capacity in the next five years if filling continues at the current rate, Minister for Health and Wellness, Hon. Sabrina Turner, revealed in Parliament on Monday.
Turner was responding to a question from Deputy Leader of the Opposition and MP for George Town North, Joseph Hew. He asked, “How many years of use are left at the George Town landfill if filling continues at the current rate?”
Minister Turner said that the George Town Landfill has approximately 780,000 cubic yards remaining, based on the current rate of input, approximately 13,000 cubic yards per month. The Minister also stated that the Department of Environmental Health (DEH) estimates that there are another four to five years of landfilling capacity remaining, which should allow DEH to continue using the landfill until the construction of the waste-to-energy facilities is complete.
MP Hew asked if there will be space for the residual landfilling once the waste-to-energy plant is completed or if there are plans to fill elsewhere. Minister Turner confirmed that there are provisions and space that have been identified on the current site for residual waste.
ReGen is the name for the waste-to-energy plant and recycling facilities that will form a sustainable, integrated solid waste management system for the Cayman Islands. In 2017, the Cayman Islands Government selected a Dart-led consortium as the preferred bidder to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the new facilities. In 2021, the previous administration signed a project agreement with the Dart-led consortium.
According to the ReGen website, the first phase of remediation of the George Town Landfill was completed in 2023, and further phases are in progress. The ReGen facilities are scheduled to be commissioned and operational in 2027. Last year, the Government said it was making steady progress on negotiations to reach a financial close for ReGen, with the financial close for the project by 30 September 2023. No updates have been provided since.
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