Students throughout the Cayman Islands are invited to enter the Waste Pyramid Essay & Poster Competition being held by the Department of Environmental Health (DEH). The competition is aimed at students’ ages 6 to 16 years old and will run from 2nd March until the 31st of March.

The purpose of the competition is to raise awareness about the new waste management hierarchy of “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover, and Dispose in Waste Management in the Cayman Islands. This new waste management hierarchy will be incorporated in the new Integrated Solid Waste Management System for the Cayman Islands currently under development by the Cayman Islands Government. To date, the approach in the Cayman Islands has only focused on waste disposal with limited reduction, reusing or recycling efforts. However, the vision for the future is for the CI Government to have an integrated system which meets the waste management needs of the Cayman Islands and is carried out in the most environmentally friendly and responsible manner, as is now recognised worldwide as best practice.

The department aims to get students involved in the process of reducing, reusing, recycling, recovering and safe disposal whereby the students can express what this means to them, to the Caymanian Society and to the environment, through involvement in the Waste Pyramid essay & poster competition.

All students are encouraged to enter as the top three winning entries in the two age categories of 6-11 year olds and 12-16 year olds will receive prizes. Prizes are sponsored by LIME, Cayman Airways, Book Nook, Cayman Sea Elements and Cayman Islands Turtle Farm. The winning entries could potentially be used to create educational materials to educate the public about the new waste management hierarchy. For more information about the Waste Management Pyramid, the public can visit the US Environmental Protection Agency website at http://www.epa.gov/waste/nonhaz/municipal/hierarchy.htm

For further information, students and parents can contact Tania Johnson at 743-5952 or via email to [email protected] or [email protected] or by visiting the DEH website at www.deh.gov.ky