The Collectivité on the French side needs to be commended for the efforts being made to enhance and protect the local environment through the impending official opening of its new drive-through recycling facility at the Galisbay port.
The new facility with its container sorting bins will receive 18 different types of items: glass bottles, paper, cooking oils, automotive oils, car batteries, domestic batteries, paints and solvents, metals, electronic equipment, monitors, fridges, freezers, ovens, dishwashing machines, clothes washing machines, garden waste, furniture, and packing materials.
These recyclable materials must be dropped off by residents of French St. Martin using vehicles with French-side number plates. In addition, professional companies, shops, commercial businesses and artisans are not authorised to use this new facility. They will have to drop off their waste at the eco-waste site at French Cul-de-Sac.
Hand-in-hand with the launching of this 822,000-euro project, the French-side authorities have wisely appointed a “sorting ambassador” charged with responsibility for spreading the good message about responsible waste disposal and care for the environment, with special emphasis on educating the young people.
Unfortunately, while the French side is galloping ahead in the area of promoting a sustainable environment, the Dutch side seems to be satisfied with merely perambulating and is progressing at a tortoise-like pace.
A project focussing of the proper disposal of batteries was launched about a decade ago, but that seems to have faltered. In more recent times there has been more of a sustained effort aimed at minimising the use of plastic bags and have been small commercial projects for the processing of waste oil and exporting of scrap metal, but no other really notable efforts at recycling.
It’s time we pay attention to the more enlightened approach being taken on the French side.
