Statia’s existing waste management plant. (Althea Merkman photo)
~ New incinerator to be operational in 2021 ~
ST. EUSTATIUS--The public entity St. Eustatius is continuously introducing new ways to further improve waste management with the objective of eventually growing into a green island.
One of the main projects supporting this objective is to ban single-use plastic starting January 1, 2021. The single-use plastic ban will contribute to Statia’s environment and sustainability, and will reduce the use of plastics and the amount of trash, it was stated in a press release.
Also, the new incinerator based on modern incineration technology is expected to become operational at the end of 2021. The Directorate of Infrastructure, Statia Waste Solution, St. Eustatius National Parks STENAPA and other stakeholders are collaborating on a plan of approach for the single-use plastic ban which goes into effect at the start of 2021, at the same time the BES law banning single-use plastic goes into effect.
An incinerator is an apparatus for burning material at high temperatures until it is reduced to ash. The incinerator currently used to burn all the island’s waste was designed to burn contaminated medical waste. It is not capable of handling the volume of waste produced on the island and is not up to standard considering the modern technology that is required, it was stated in the release.
A new unit is needed to reach Statia’s objective to prevent the dumping of waste and consequently improve health and living conditions in Statia.
The new machine is more efficient and is fully tailored to Statia’s requirements. It has the capacity to burn approximately 500 kilogrammes of waste per hour, a higher volume of waste than the current machine.
The choice of this specific incinerator was extensively reviewed by engineers and by the Directorate of Economy, Nature and Infrastructure. It forms the basis of modern incineration technology and additional processes can be built into it.
The new incinerator will be placed at the waste plant, next to the building with the old incinerator. The old unit will be kept, to burn medical waste.
EJL Services BV is the public entity’s key partner when it comes to waste management and is the provider of the new unit.
The new unit is expected to be operational at the end of 2021. Its operation will depend on the volume of waste to be processed on a weekly basis.
Government Commissioner Marnix van Rij is convinced that the new machine is a very good investment. “The purchase of the new unit is a fundamental step in realising Statia’s ambitions in modernising waste management, and an investment that will serve the island of St. Eustatius for the coming 10 years,” he said.
