The Environmental Health Department within the Ministry of Health, Agriculture and Human Services wishes to advise residents, visitors and the international community that the story “Haitians forced to eat from garbage dumps in the Turks and Caicos Islands” is not true. There are no Haitian Nationals in the Turks and Caicos Islands who are forced or were forced to eat from any dump sites in the TCI.
During the course of the last several years the Environmental Health Department and the Ministry of Health has made significant improvements to the solid waste management facilities throughout the country, especially the sites in Grand Turk and Providenciales. The dump sites on Providenciales and Grand Turk are both fully enclosed to prevent unauthorized entry as well as to provide improved containment and security. You will note from the publication that the dumpsite is not representative of the current dumpsites on either Grand Turk or Providenciales.
The Turks and Caicos Islands does not support or encourage persons whether legal or illegal residents or visitors, to eat from the dump. Any and all communication regarding such should be disregarded and treated as falsified information.
For more information contact the Environmental Health Department on 338-2143.