At the weekend we published four reports from the Economics and Statistics Office (ESO) that will take many, many hours to plough through them all.

If I am at a loss to find something to write about I can delve into the myriads of pages and quickly fall to sleep.

Not that what I have found to date is not interesting. Far from it. They show the economy is strong and growing despite the negatives from some of our media and talk shows.

The welfare stats, however, show a very depressing figure. Ninety four more families required welfare assistance in 2017 than in 2016. A total of 999.

There were other increases in persons requiring clothing, school uniforms, and support for rent, utilities and burial fees.

Our garbage collection woes have increased with a staggering 55% plus increase in the tonnage of rubbish – 158,679 compared to 102,074 tons in 2016.

It would initially seem we are becoming more wasteful, and I suspect that is the case, but the stats also point to an increase in our population and visitors.

It is even more staggering when the stats show our garbage collections have quadrupled in only five years!!!

And one can ask why less than 1% of the nearly 60,000 tons of garbage collected in 2017 was incinerated?

I can only pray the new Dart Enterprises led waste-to-energy plant now being discussed will come to fruition very soon.

Haven’t we had enough of discussions? If only we could all reap the benefits of all that wasted verbiage over the years….. That would, of course, only add to the garbage numbers!

I must end with a bright spark in my garbage rant.

Recycling has increased over the past few years, We are taking note to place our aluminium cans and bottles, etc in the specially labelled bins in the appointed drop off places.

Now for another staggering statistic.

Over 1,700 derelict cars were processed at the landfill last year compared to around 70 in 2014!!

And full marks for getting rid of that mountain of tyres.

Now I am tired out writing about all this.