Waste Collection - Department of Environmental Health
Waste Collection
Under the Public Health Law (2002 Revision); The Department of Environmental Health is charged with the collection and disposal of all waste generated within the Cayman Islands.
The department collects the following:
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Residential Waste Collection
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Commercial Waste Collection
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Biomedical / Infectious Waste Collection
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Litter / Roadside Collection
Residential Waste Collection
Residential waste is collected from the kerbside of registered dwellings across the Cayman Islands. These collections operate at least once per week on weekdays and residents are expected to place their garbage at the kerbside prior to the collection day. The residential garbage is collected using rear loading trucks serviced by a collection crew of DEH staff.
Residential properties with ten or more units will require a commercial collection service at an appropriate frequency of collection determined by DEH.
Registration
All residents seeking this service will be required to register at DEH’s offices in either Grand Cayman or or the District Admin Office on Cayman Brac by completing an application form.
Handling & preparing household garbage for collection
To comply with the regulations and to assist in the removal of your garbage, we ask residents to:
- Place waste in large garbage bags before placing in a garbage container.
- Place garbage bags into a watertight metal or plastic container with a tightly fitted cover and easy to grip handles.
- A household garbage container should have a capacity of 33 gallons, and each garbage bag should weigh 40 pounds or less. Garbage bags or bins will not be collected if they are too heavy.
- Secure your garbage containers in an enclosure.
- Construct all garbage enclosures from wood or other durable materials. Enclosures should be a minimum of 6 inches from the ground and securely fixed into the ground. An enclosure with minimum dimensions of 2 feet 6 inches by 2 feet 6 inches should be provided for each garbage bin. Please ensure that your garbage enclosure is less than 3 feet high if it does not have a door. If the enclosure is too high or not accessible, our collectors will not be able to collect the garbage. place the containers or bags for collection in front or at the side of premises on streets abutting the premises or in such other place as may be approved by the Department.
What not to put in residential garbage for collection
To assist in protecting our staff from injury during their duties or from causing fires within the trucks or the landfill; we do not allow the following items to be included in your residential garbage.
- Batteries of any kind
- Coals
- Grease/oils
- Syringes/broken glass/any sharp objects – (Place needles & syringes into a sharps disposal container and dispose of them in the biohazard bin at the nearest public hospital or clinic.)
- Construction or demolition debris
- Landscaping vegetation
- Animal waste
- Liquids
- Household hazardous waste (bleach, paint, cleaning supplies)
- Small appliances
- Bulky items such as furniture
Placement of containers/enclosures
Ensure that your garbage containers/enclosures are easily accessible to collectors. Place them at the front of the premises or immediately beside the property. Place your garbage out on the night before your pick up, if you do not have an enclosure.
On Grand Cayman garbage collection begins at 3:00am and the Sister Islands begin at 5:00am so you may miss collection if you wait to put it out the next day.
Garbage containers must not block traffic.
Remember to remove your garbage containers from the streets following collection.
Non-Collection
In the event that the collection crew deems the garbage to be non-compliant, they will leave a Collection Refusal Notice, see example:
Drop-off site at the DEH Landfills
These opening hours vary depending on location, however, the Georgetown Landfill Drop off-site is open 24-hours per day every day.
DEH residential collection schedules
Grand Cayman
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Cayman Brac
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Little Cayman
Monday
Wednesday
Commercial Waste Collection
Commercial collection services are carried out from large commercial establishments. This is achieved through rental and servicing of large commercial containers to commercial customers. These containers should be housed in enclosures designed and built for the purpose. Approval shall be sought from DEH prior to and following construction.
To seek a commercial collection, customers should attend the DEH offices in Grand Cayman or Cayman Brac to complete an application form and pay an appropriate fee. The fee will depend on the size of the container and the frequency of collection specified by DEH.
For more information, on enclosure construction, container size and frequency; please contact DEH’s Engineering section at DEH.Engineering@gov.ky for guidance and advice.
Once the fee has been paid and an appropriate enclosure has been constructed and approved by DEH; a container will be provided within 10 working days.
The fees for commercial container rental and collections services offered are as follows:
Daily Rental Services
Daily rental services are available for a short term as needed. These rentals include a single service of the containers per fee. These services are booked by the customer to an agreed date of service.
Grab Truck Services
DEH operates grab trucks that can be used to collect bulk waste and derelict vehicles from commercial and residential establishments.
These services can be booked and paid for at the DEH offices on either Grand Cayman or Cayman Brac. The costs of these services are as follows:
- Derelict vehicle collection $75 per vehicle (at owners request)
- Bulk waste collection for Grand Cayman $100 per load (Mon. to Fri.) or $150 (Sat.) and Cayman Brac $75 (Mon. to Fri.)
Daily Container Rentals
DEH offers daily container rentals and container servicing to the public in Grand Cayman. These 20-yard capacity bulk containers can be delivered to your chosen location and collected once Arrangements can be made by visiting the DEH offices in Grand Cayman.
- 20 Yard container $100 per load (Mon. to Fri.) or $150 (Sat.)
Biomedical / Infectious Waste Collection
Collections are by the DEH team from institutional and commercial generators of biomedical waste. Any generator of biomedical waste is required to be registered with the Medical Officer of Health.
Each generator is provided by DEH with a red biohazard wheeled bin at a rental cost of $100 each per year.
The cost for collection, transportation and disposal of biomedical waste by DEH is $2 per pound.
Deceased Animals
Document Destruction
Litter / Roadside Collection
The Department of Environmental Health (DEH) has a litter collection team that cleans up central George Town daily and tackles public roads every month, throughout the districts. Despite their efforts, littering remains a problem in the Cayman Islands. The evidence can be seen along roadways, in empty lots, in parks and residential neighbourhoods. An unsightly blemish, litter mars the beauty of surroundings but it can also be a health and safety hazard and pose a real threat to wildlife.
Most locally-deposited litter comprises fast food containers, plastic bottles and bags and glass beer bottles. Frequently adding to the litter problem are those who throw garbage from moving vehicles. Landscape company staffers likewise frequently compound the issue by blowing gardening waste onto the streets rather than collecting and bagging it.
Keeping the Cayman Islands clean and green is everyone’s responsibility. We all need to do our part—and that includes reporting littering to the police. Under the Litter Law, convictions can result in $500 fines, and/or imprisonment.
