There is an interesting story in the paper about garbage collection in St. Eustatius. It is now being handled by the company managing the recycling plant, and involves fees.
The amounts are US $132 per year for small homes and $216 for bigger ones. Businesses must fork over either $480, $960 or $1,440 annually.
The report in today’s edition further explains the process of requesting a reduction or exemption for people financially unable to comply. Proof of (low) household income and the most recent utility bills are among the requirements, along with answering questions about all other expenses and submitting invoice copies if necessary.
In addition to paying for the service, residents are to separate recyclables from their other solid waste. They have access to two different colour containers – one for each category – to do so.
In St. Maarten there is no charge for domestic garbage pickup, executed by contractors that Government funds from its general means. The latter is obviously something that might be looked at, considering the present state of public finances.
What’s more, the current system seems fragmented, disorganised and hardly in keeping with modern environmental practices. If fees like those in Statia were introduced locally it would at least increase the possibility to also make stronger demands on providers in terms of proper equipment, frequency and house-to-house service rather than persons having to transport their bags to large neighbourhood bins, which might reduce loose-lying trash and improve the area’s appearance.
As the debate on solving the Dutch side’s dump crisis continues, a comprehensive solution that includes better waste collection, management and processing clearly appears in order. If a reasonable fee is needed to achieve such, most people probably wouldn’t object too much.
They say there is no such thing as a free lunch and ultimately you often get what you pay for.
