Govt. working on waste authority

PHILIPSBURG–Government is working on establishing a waste management authority to oversee the country’s burdensome solid waste management issues, Infrastructure and Environment VROMI Minister Miklos Giterson told Members of Parliament (MPs) in the continuing Central Committee meeting on the draft 2018 budget Thursday.

Residents and businesses are to prepare themselves ultimately for a garbage collection fee, Giterson said. Parliament will have to lend its support to changing or passing applicable laws to allow for the fee as well as other aspects of the management process.
The constantly burning dump has been choking residents and businesses. At the extreme in early February the thick clouds of black smoke forced schools, government offices and businesses to close for some three days.
The management of the landfill and of the new dump created after Hurricane Irma requires revamping. A consultant hired by the World Bank is expected in the country in the coming days to review the situation and offer remedies.
Giterson said some NAf. 2.8 million is allocated in the draft budget for the management of the landfill. This amount is “grossly insufficient” and will be supplemented by the Dutch Recovery Funds administrated by the World Bank.
“Urgent improvement” in the management of the dump is needed and this includes beefing up security to prevent fire-starters from accessing the landfills and to halt the dumping of garbage from the French side at the two sites.
New and better-formulated terms of reference for the management of the dump have to be formulated “as soon as possible.” The current flawed contract expires at the end of the year.
Management of the landfill is just part of the remedy for its problems. Giterson said the country must engage in recycling. The process to procure machinery to shred metals, wood and other debris has started.
Emphasis is now on removing as much debris as possible from the country, starting with the Irma dumpsite, he said.
Asked by MPs about the rebuilding process, Giterson said that in the absence of an updated building code, his Ministry is tackling reconstruction using industry “best practices.”
MPs were also concerned about the state of the country’s sports facilities and were informed by Sports Minister Jorien Wuite that Government’s insurance “does not properly cover” the repair of the facilities. Her Ministry is working on attracting partnerships and funds from international agencies and the private sector at home.
Several MPs posed questions on the budget and matters related to it, to which the Council of Ministers delivered most of the answers. The session was halted last evening after the lights in Parliament House started to flicker badly due possibly to a faulty fuse. The session resumes at 9:00am today, Friday.
The discussion in Parliament on the draft budget started on April 26. Parliament has up to midnight on May 8 to pass the budget or have the country face an instruction from the Kingdom Council of Ministers to get its financial house in order.

Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/76273-govt-working-on-waste-authority

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