VROMI Minister Patrice Gumbs (left) looks on as the weighbridge is installed at the entrance of the main landfill on Pond Island.
PHILIPSBURG--The Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (VROMI) has announced the installation of a weighbridge at the Philipsburg landfill. VROMI Minister Patrice Gumbs hails this asset as a major step toward modernizing St. Maarten’s waste management system.
The new weighbridge, capable of handling loads of up to 80 tons, will allow for accurate measurement of all waste entering the landfill. The data collected will support future waste-management fees and help strengthen financial planning for the sector, the Ministry of VROMI announced.
The installation forms part of the Emergency Debris Management Program (EDMP), funded through the Trust Fund and aimed at rehabilitating the existing landfill while advancing broader waste-management reforms.
Representatives from VROMI and the National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB) were on-site Sunday morning as contractors AVTO and Elicom began the installation. According to Minister of VROMI Patrice Gumbs, ministry staff will receive training this week on the weighbridge’s software and operational procedures.
Minister Gumbs expressed gratitude to VROMI staff, the NRPB, and the contractors for their continued commitment. He emphasized that the improvements underway are essential to achieving a cleaner, more sustainable future for Sint Maarten.
“These changes are necessary to create the modern waste-management system our island deserves,” Gumbs said, reiterating the project’s message: “It will take all of us.”
