One would be hesitant to even write about this again were it not so annoying. The garbage dump has been on fire for several days, treating residents living and working downwind to a persistent flow of unhealthy smoke.
Government on Sunday again warned especially persons suffering respiratory challenges to close their windows and doors. That’s good advice, but can be very inconvenient and downright uncomfortable particularly without air-conditioning.
Caretaker Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure Christophe Emanuel in the recent past did not always appreciate being asked about the issue. He said everyone knows the landfill has long since surpassed its lifespan and simply cannot take any more, while better waste separation and recycling must be part of whatever solution.
The latter is no doubt true, but in the meantime “trash mountain” keeps getting bigger and potentially hazardous fires continue to occur. It appears those managing the complex are not able to stop them either.
Of course, the passage of Hurricane Irma hardly improved the situation. The sheer amount of debris it left behind was mind-boggling.
The relatively quick and effective clean-up with the help of Dutch manpower and equipment was therefore nothing short of amazing and certainly deserved the praise it got. A separate location was also created to deposit the most common materials such as zinc and plywood for processing and/or export.
That is all fine and dandy, but will take quite a while and does not solve the day-to-day garbage problem. To do so there have been discussions for decades about a waste-to-energy plant, so far lacking any tangible result.
The Netherlands has ample experience with this matter; for example, at its Rijnmond facility. Considering that projects to be financed from the 550 million euros in recovery assistance made available by The Hague should significantly improve living conditions in St. Maarten, putting the no-longer-so-sanitary landfill on that list seems like the ultimate no-brainer.
