The awarding of eight two-year district cleaning contracts (see related story) will hopefully lead to St. Maarten becoming a little less dirty. The latter is important to the tourism economy, but also for public health, including the prevention of mosquito breeding sites.
However, judging from comments in today’s paper by Nature Foundation all these efforts won’t actually make much difference if the illegal dumping of waste
and building materials continues. Significant amounts of trash were reported especially near Belair Pond, at the trail to the natural pools of Pointe Blanche and in Cole Bay on the shore of Simpson Bay Lagoon.
Government is requested to ensure efficient garbage collection so as not to give people a reason to dump it elsewhere, which has not always been the case of late. On the other hand, there really can be no excuse for such practices, because even a child knows it’s wrong.
It also should be pointed out that only household garbage should be placed in the designated bins and areas, not other types of waste like trash from the yard, old appliances, etc. There are separate arrangements for such items and improperly disposing of them merely compounds the problem.
Residents and businesses alike need to take more responsibility for their immediate surroundings and the local environment in general. It seems a bit senseless to talk about recycling and a waste-to-energy plant as long as rubbish is still thrown out indiscriminately and without regard for nature or other persons.
