St. Maarten Private Eye

While I was driving today around noon listening to Island 92 with Willem Dekker, I heard Suzanne Koelega ( a reporter for the Daily Herald) giving a run down on what all had transpired during the morning with Her Majesty Queen Beatrix. Suzanne mentioned that one of the first questions that Her Majesty asked the EXCO is why the Dump-Landfill is still in the center of town after so many years. I thought to myself, There is a God!!! in this case, There is a Queen!!!!

I am very happy that her Majesty Queen Beatrix brought forward this issue to the EXCO, as it is obvious that even a Queen has to pass and see this mountainous man made monument filled with waste on her way to meet our local government. We are way behind where this issue is concerned, our landfill or dump depot is located in the center of Philipsburg and growing into the skies everyday.

Yet, our government is playing politics instead of trying to find a viable, safe and responsibly safe solution to this problem. Not to mention an environmental solution as well. The public and environmentally aware persons had a chance to listen to how recycling is being handled on other Caribbean islands. Not one elected official showed up for the presentation. Mr. Gert-Jan Stortelers, who is the representative of the Netherlands on St. Maarten did come out to listen.

We are not talking about an eyesore anymore, as the current landfill has become a health issue as some persons pointed out during the ECODEC presentation. They were referring to the infestation of midges that the island has experienced sometime this year and last year. The dump depot is not a bottom sealed landfill, and everything from large appliances to paint, sometimes sewage to regular household garbage and even gas cylinders is being buried.

Of course the waste that breaks down into liquid and other toxic waste is leaked into the Great Salt Pond, resulting in the pond not being salty anymore and with stagnant water , these small mosquito-like insects will breed. The time has come for our government to take a closer look at ECODEC recycling methods and make a wise decision as other islands have done.

An incerator will not solve our islands waste problem as we will have to import garbage to keep an incerator burning day and night. To top it off, the left over ash which consists of Dioxin is toxic and has to be handled carefully, packed in a sealed container and shipped off somewhere...... ?????

As Mr. Chouraki said, most of St.Maarten's household waste can be turned into composte. Composte can be made into good quality landscaping and agriculture material. Plastic bottles can also be recycled as can used car tyres.
ECODEC will also be starting with crushing cars and heavy equipment in Guadeloupe next year, shipping off the metal to Europe for recycling.
St.Maarten should also consider this, as some areas in Sucker Garden and Arch road has become a visible cemetary for cars and heavy equipment wrecks.

Political will is needed here, and not political babble.

Come next election we will be hearing a lot of political babble about the environment, what we have to tell the politicians is that we demand action on removing the existing dump.

I wonder if they even care that the new government building is being built right next to the exsisting landfill with all the fires and fumes. The civil servants will have to wake up as well and demand that they clean up that landfill before they even consider moving into their new government administration building.

Jadira Veen