While people were enjoying the Grand Carnival Parade on Sunday, television viewers could not help but notice the landfill in the background during the live broadcast as seen from the TV-transmission point on Long Wall Road. A few even queried why that
particular spot had been chosen, but it’s the same location that has been used already for many years.
What happened is that “Mount Trash” has grown to the extent that it now covers up more of the green hills behind it, making for an increasingly unpleasant sight. On top of that, the dump had been burning off and on all week, prompting a joke that St. Maarten now has its own volcano.
All kidding aside, the problem is becoming unbearable. If the long-envisioned waste-to-energy plant can’t actually be realised any time soon, it might be worth considering other alternatives.
There has been quite a bit of opposition to the current plan to build a joint European Union-funded sewage plant in Simpson Bay Lagoon. Apart from environmental concerns, some on the Dutch side have also questioned why it can’t be built on the French side.
The latter is reportedly not up for discussion, at least not in Marigot. One also must keep in mind that such projects carried out together will ultimately have to be situated one side’s territory or the other’s.
With that in mind, what about sharing a garbage facility? It’s been said in the past that St. Martin had no interest, but perhaps the idea can be revisited.
After all, the French side has made much headway with separation and recycling, certainly compared to the situation on Pond Island. Generally speaking, such activities tend to become more feasible with a higher volume.
So why not an EU-funded initiative to upgrade the existing provisions at Anse Marcel so they could serve both sides of the island? This means French-side sewage in effect would be processed on the Dutch side and Dutch-side garbage on the French side.
How’s that for a fair trade-off?
