The Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planing, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI’s tender for comprehensive solid waste collection services during the period 2026-2029 (see related story) could open a new chapter in how garbage is dealt with on the Dutch side. That would tie in with efforts to improve processing at the landfill, made possible with means from the Dutch-sponsored Trust Fund administered by the World Bank and the National Recovery Program Bureau (NRBP) as executing agency.
The selected bids will be responsible for maintenance of collective collection locations, removal of stray garbage along main roads, placement and management of collection bins and public communication regarding pickup schedules. They will also participate in public awareness campaigns and provide monthly progress reports to ensure transparency and accountability.
According to government’s release, this represents a significant opportunity for qualified waste management contractors to contribute to St. Maarten's environmental sustainability and public health infrastructure. No details have yet been provided, but one assumes the country will again be divided into zones to which different bids are assigned, instead of just one for the whole territory.
This is essential, because small contractors have historically depended on such for their livelihood. However, there have also been many complaints in the recent past from various districts.
A major issue is still the use of big centralised bins especially when allowed to overflow, rather than smaller individual bins and pickup per household. Although some pilot programmes with the latter system did take place, it is not clear when and to what extent this might become general practice.
Other issues include transport with open, uncovered and sometimes overloaded trucks from which waste has been known to spill onto the street and often end up in nature. One may expect strict requirements for hauling garbage, but also their enhanced and active enforcement.
Taking into account that the tender is for three years, this opportunity to improve and upgrade these services should not be lost. Although monthly progress reports are certainly a step in the right direction, perhaps more important is ensuring beforehand that selected parties actually have the ability to properly carry out their bid for its entire duration on a daily basis.
As they say, consistency is everything.
