Green at Home

There are lots of little things that can be done at home to help you and your family live a more green lifestyle. From recycling and reusing where possible, to installing greener household appliances - there are many ways to protect Cayman's future from the comfort of your home.

Reduce, Reuse & Refuse

The George Town landfill has an estimated four to five years of space left before it reaches its full capacity, which means it is essential that we all strive to reduce, reuse and refuse our waste.

• All major supermarkets on the Island now sell reusable woven shopping bags and charge 5¢ per plastic bag. Yet, they still provide plastic produce bags in the fruit and vegetable aisles and these end up in the landfill by the thousands.
• Refuse Styrofoam as it cannot be recycled and is one of the biggest culprits of ocean pollution.
• Say no to single-use plastics, such as shopping bags, plastic produce bags, plastic straws, utensils and even disposable coffee cups. Buy mesh produce bags for fruit and vegetable purchases, reusable coffee cups and glass or stainless steel straws. Reusable straws are available at Bon Vivant, Foster’s and Kirk Home Centre.

Reducing the amount of waste we personally generate ultimately reduces the amount of waste we send to the landfill.

Recycling

Recycling reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills and conserves natural resources such as water, timber and minerals.

There are various recycling depots across Grand Cayman; many of which are located at the Island’s major supermarkets and the Bar Cam petrol station.

Residents can recycle the following items at each of these locations:

• paper and cardboard
  
• clean metal food cans (steel and aluminium)
  
• PET/PETE and HDPE plastics (numbers 1 and 2). Be sure to check the bottom of containers for codes such as PET, PETE and HDPE or the 1 and 2 symbols.

Sadly, glass is no longer recycled on-Island, however there are still ways that you can make a difference. Return your empty Caybrew bottles to the Caybrew Taproom, Blackbeard's or Jacques Scott and you can get money off your next purchase while Caybrew reuses the bottles.

It is essential that no additional waste items are placed in recycling bins as they can contaminate the recyclables and could cause the entire bin to be landfilled. Remember to wash/rinse out items before depositing them in recycling bins, as contents can contaminate the entire recycling bin. Labels and caps must be removed from bottles as these often cannot be recycled. Read the signs at each depot and follow the instructions carefully. Remember to separate your waste at source and don’t put plastic wrappers, plastic bags or cling wrap in with the numbers 1 and 2 plastics.

After recyclables are placed in the multi-coloured bins at any of the depots across the Island, it is then taken to the DEH recycling centre at the George Town landfill. Once the recycling has been separated and baled, it is shipped to its final destination in Florida, where it is distributed to various waste processing facilities.

Recyclables in Cayman Brac and Little Cayman are safely stored at their respective landfills until arrangements are made for shipping to Grand Cayman for further processing.

You can also get JUNK to help make your recycling easier. They offer stackable bins for residential and small business use and larger bins for those generating more recyclables. From as little as CI$50 per month, JUNK collects recyclables (aluminium, cardboard, and plastic types 1 and 2) every week from your home or office. Your recyclables are responsibly prepared for export to their waste management partners, thus diverting them from the George Town landfill. Email JUNK at info@junk.ky.

If you have old electronic equipment such as computers, keyboards or cables, E-Waste Cayman Islands Ltd. will collect and recycle them. Fees for collecting electronic waste start at CI$8 per unit and increase depending on the nature and volume of the material. They also offer on-site Data Destruction which includes electronic reporting and disposal. Visit E-Waste's website for a full list of fees.

Island Recycling which is part of Island Waste Carriers, will collect your non-ferrous metals, including aluminium, copper, brass and some scrap car parts and, depending on the volume, may pay you for it.

The Department of Environmental Health (DEH) oversees all the Islands' recycling. Other services that the DEH provide include district sanitation and rodent control, solid and hazardous wastes, including waste collection, recycling and disposal and public education and promotion programmes.

Disposing of Batteries

Please do your part to keep Cayman's environment green and free from toxic material. Everyone should aim to use rechargeable batteries. Batteries contain heavy metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium and nickel, and if not disposed of properly can contaminate the environment, harm people and animals and cause fires.

The Department of Environmental Health (DEH) has introduced small blue collection containers (which look like blue tubes) where used household batteries can be dropped off for recycling. The bins are located at all supermarkets, including Foster's, Cost-U-Less and some public businesses and condos. For more information visit the Recycling Locations page.

Rechargeable batteries (from your computer, camera or cell phone for example) can be dropped off at Funky Tangs or BrandSource and are shipped to the US for recycling.

Lead acid, car batteries and any other battery over 5lbs can be recycled by dropping them off at the DEH Recycling Centre at the Landfill site.

Please do not put any batteries in the regular garbage bins!

Household Appliances

The most environmentally friendly fuel source available in the Cayman Islands is propane. Home Gas (all three Islands) and Clean Gas (Grand Cayman only) are the two available providers. Home Gas offers installation, service and delivery, whether residential or commercial, and works with their customers throughout the whole process of designing, installing and maintaining a propane system. They also offer propane and product guidance for all indoor and outside appliances.

As well as being kinder to the environment, propane-fuelled appliances are far more economical to run than electric ones. Both companies can also offer propane to power outdoor appliances such as tiki torches, water heaters and grills.

Green Cleaning Products

Environmentally friendly cleaning products are becoming more common in Cayman’s stores. These green products clean just as well as their harsh chemical-laden counterparts but are made entirely from natural ingredients which are non-toxic, free of phosphates, fillers, fragrance, chlorine, dyes and NPE. They are not tested on animals, nor do they contain animal additives. Another benefit of these green products is that they are far better for the septic tank systems that most homes in Cayman use.

The Refillery (Tel: (345) 743 8888), located in Country Corner Plaza in Savannah, offers a refilling service for all your household cleaning products. Simply take your empty containers to The Refillery and they will top them up with their eco-friendly cleaning solutions. They also sell eco-friendly products, such as candles, soaps, scrub brushes, shampoo, conditioner and deodorant. They are open Monday to Saturday, 10am to 6pm.

Foster’s and Kirk Market lead the way for supermarkets in supplying safe cleaning products. EcoCay, an online-only store, also sells sustainable, plastic-free and non-toxic cleaning products as well as other everyday essentials.

Dry Cleaning

When you need dry cleaning done on Grand Cayman, Island Cleaners and Puritan Cleaners are both eco-friendly companies that use environmentally safe dry-cleaning products, recycle hangers and offer a same day service, if needed. Fluff ‘N’ Fold in Camana Bay also uses energy-efficient equipment, non-toxic chemicals and recycling programmes to reduce their impact on the environment.

Top Tips for Being Green

Small choices can make a difference so here are some ways you can reduce your impact on the environment:

• Buy reusable bags to take with you to the grocery store
• Buy food and cleaning items in bulk
• Buy glass food containers and reuse them
• Invest in high-quality, long-lasting products
• Take reusable containers when you get takeaway food
• Use reusable cups/glass jars for your daily coffee or smoothie
• Avoid disposable cutlery
• Choose eco-friendly cleaning products
• Avoid toiletries that contain microbeads
• Swap to non-plastic alternatives e.g. a bamboo toothbrush, a silicone menstrual cup or beeswax wraps
• Avoid products containing palm oil and, when unavoidable, buy those containing RSPO-certified palm oil
• Reduce your meat and dairy intake and try 'Meat-free Mondays'
• Buy your fish from locally caught marketplaces like the fish market by George Town harbour and choose the delicious but invasive lionfish at restaurants
  
• Drink chlorine-free and filtered Flowers Bottled Water or tap water, which is perfectly safe, and use refillable bottles; consider installing a Koola bottle-less water cooler whcih connects to your home's water supply and filters out chlorine, lead, phosphates and bacteria
• Be mindful of water usage and install a ‘low flow’ shower head to save water
• Use a drying rack or clothesline to dry clothes rather than a dryer
• Only use the dishwasher and washing machine when you have a full load
• Set the A/C thermostat at the highest temperature you feel comfortable with
• Conserve energy by turning off lights, fans and electronic equipment when not in use
• Use rechargeable batteries
• Recycle newspapers and towels by taking them to the Humane Society and donate magazines to the hospital
• Recycle old printers and laptops by donating them to schools or charities
• Return clothes hangers to dry cleaners
• Take second-hand clothes to the Humane Society, One Dog At A Time or the Red Cross
• Share rides, use public transportation, walk or cycle when possible
• Compost where possible.

You can also join Plastic Free Cayman and take their 345 Pledge for Individuals which suggests easy switches you can make to help you reduce plastic waste. Find them on Facebook or visit their website.

Being a Green Family

In order for your kids to value the importance of recycling, you must lead by example. The more fired-up you are about recycling, the more interested they will likely be in participating. Kids should see recycling as an exciting way to help protect the Earth, not to mention all the incredible creatures that call Cayman home!

If you plan to make recycling a regular chore for your kids, incentivise it by rewarding them with fun activities like trips to the beach or park. Take some time when you visit the beach to pick up some trash and help keep Cayman looking beautiful.

Encourage your kids to join youth-led environmental organisations like Protect Our Future or Junior Mangrove Rangers for the opportunity to meet like-minded friends, get involved in community cleaning efforts and expand their understanding of climate change and other related subjects.

Check out this article on Raising Environmentally Conscious Children in Cayman for more helpful tips.