The smoking dump has become one of St. Maarten’s most urgent issues, as once again became evident in the last two days. There have even been suggestions that the US or other source markets of the local tourism economy might well consider negative travel advisories due to the health hazard in the future under similar circumstances.
So, it’s not bad enough that fumes from the frequent fires threaten the wellbeing of residents living, working and/or going to school downwind of the landfill, which has clearly surpassed its lifespan. The very livelihood of practically everyone on the whole island is increasingly at stake.
And the problem is not limited to neighbourhoods nearby. The entire Simpson Bay tourism area was shrouded under a cloud of smoke for much of Wednesday evening and – just when people thought the worst was over – the same thing occurred in the Mary’s Fancy/Saunders/St. Peters/South Reward cul-de-sac the next morning.
While what actually prompts these blazes remains a point of contention, it does appear they are often the consequence of human scavenging activities. Efforts were made in the recent past to keep unauthorised persons out, but those in charge are apparently unable to stop them in a structural manner.
Although some informal garbage separation has started, it all seems too little too late. Plans for a waste-to-energy facility have been a topic of discussion for many years, so far without any tangible result.
The small scale does present obvious challenges. However, the same can be said of the French side where they are at least seriously attempting to recycle and properly dispose of their trash. Doing this together would probably be the best way to handle it, but primarily because it involves two separate countries that’s not likely to happen any time soon.
Extracting gas from landfills to produce electricity is a proven technique and possible option, but any such scenario would require Government-owned local utility company GEBE to be fully on board. The question is how much longer the island and its people can really afford to endure an outdated, inadequate and non-environmentally-friendly system of garbage collection and processing.
