La partnership agreement across Verde SXM et the Saint-Martin Nature Reserve Management Association has been renewed at the premises of the waste treatment operator. A long-standing collaboration, which aims to strengthen environmental protection actions, particularly in the face of increasing waste pressure on the territory.
At the heart of this agreement: the support by Verde du treatment of collected waste during operations conducted in the Reserve, in the limit of 10 tonnes per year – such as the agreement signed between Verde and the Clean St Martin association. A essential logistical support to facilitate these interventions, given that a large amount of waste, particularly marine waste, regularly washes up on protected sites.
Beyond this framework, the two partners are working on several structuring projects. Among them, the creation of a nursery of endemic plants and the revegetation of certain degraded areas, particularly around the treatment site. The objective is to improve landscape integration, including from the sea, and strengthen the resilience of the territory.
Another challenge: access to and security of certain sensitive areas, in connection with the sea turtle nestingThese projects are part of a long-term vision, reconciling the preservation of natural environments with operational constraints.
Waste: breaking down misconceptions and speeding up sorting
But this collaboration also highlights a deeper problem: the report on waste“Many people think that throwing things away is making them disappear. People tend to shirk their responsibility,” laments Anne-Karine Fleming, president of the waste management association. Nature reserve de Saint -MartinThis perception is still widespread, even though the waste remains on the island. While children’s awareness is progressing, changing adult habits remains a major challenge.
For his part, Maxime Arnal, director of Verde SXM, emphasizes a reality that remains largely unknown: The waste disposal center is free for individuals.including for certain specific waste such as End-of-life vehicles, tires, and mineral oils, under certain conditions. A still underutilized system. Another truth that urgently needs to be restored : sortingwith one truck dedicated to plastic and another to glass. “We dispose of 30.000 tons of waste, but dozens of containers are sent for recycling every month, The sorting process is well-established on our end.“We make balls out of the plastic and we crush the glass to make sand or gravel.” A recycling project is also in the works to transform all combustible waste into electricity. A double win: this would represent 10% of energy production and would put an end to landfilling and smoldering fires.
Soaring volumes, a system under pressure
The figures presented confirm increasing pressure. Every year, Approximately 55.000 tonnes of waste are processed, of which nearly 30.000 tonnes are buried.. While household waste remains generally stable in the long term (average 16.000 tonnes/year), an increase is observed in 2025 (21.000 tonnes).
Even more striking, the explosion of bulky waste Their volume has more than tripled in a decade. professional waste follow the same trend (+128,5%), while the Sargassum, which have increased sharply (+274%), now occupy a significant portion of storage capacity.
Faced with these flows, the limitations of the system become clear. Sorting remains insufficientOften poorly implemented upstream by individuals and professionals, and with limited technical resources, lacking dedicated mechanized systems, a large portion of the waste still ends up buried.
Le locker currently in operation, whose capacity has been optimized (48.000m3), should reach its limits by June 2026 at the latest. A deadline that illustrates the urgency of rethinking waste management on a territorial scale.
Between development projects, reflections on energy production, and strengthened partnerships, Verde SXM and the Nature Reserve are outlining possible solutions. But all converge on the same conclusion: without changes in practices and collective mobilization, the current model will quickly reach its limits. We only have one planet; it is everyone’s responsibility to protect it.. _Vx
Source: Faxinfo https://faxinfo.fr/en/environnement-verde-sxm-et-la-reserve-naturelle-renforcent-leur-partenariat/
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