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Garbage and Waste
When (lime) Green Means A Healthy Sustainable Environment
Everybody knows about the new political thrill. Right?
And aren’t we all DYING to finally see its’ manifesto?
Unfortunately it is yet to make a grand entrée. The bore of waiting and considering the fact that its’ figurehead has never made the slightest greenwashed impression on me, have induced me to extend a helping hand (shown kindness may be applauded here).
BIOWASTE in a RECYCLING SOCIETY
With the growth of St Maarten’s economy, constantly rising quantities of waste are continuing to be produced. Tonnes of bio-waste arise in food and garden waste and the food and drink industry. The first priority, of course, must be to prevent / reduce waste. This can go hand in hand with major environmental and economic benefits.
The enormous quantity of waste produced every day on this island cannot simply be squandered. Bio-waste plays an important part in combating climate change and offers valuable potential in terms of protecting the soil and promoting the production of renewable energies, and is therefore a significant factor in the recovery of this volume of waste. This means that sustainable development can be promoted through the efficient management of resources.
Clean-up Teams Hit Mullet Bay
Unlisted - Amongst all the Easter Monday parties and celebrations on Mullet Bay Beach, sisters Elaine Christopher and Chloe Brown, were making sure that party-goers had a good time AND took their rubbish home with them. By handing out free biodegradable trash bags to anyone who had forgotten to bring one, the girls, together with other volunteers, were helping to keep the beach clean after the festivities were over.
Elaine is a director of Good2Go, the only company in the Caribbean that specializes in sustainable packaging, and her aim is to raise awareness of the litter problem that these events can generate. Happily, over a hundred bags were given away to grateful citizens, many of whom took their garbage home with them, leaving the beach a little cleaner than in previous years.
However, there were still some who wanted to leave their trash for someone else to deal with. The Easter Monday bag handout was a great start but there’s still a long way to go…
Major grease blockage causes sewage back-up into homes
The Daily Herald - PHILIPSBURG--At least four homes and a number of businesses were flooded with raw sewage on Wednesday night while a crew from Windward Roads was clearing the main sewage line of extreme clogging by grease deposits. The sewage backed up into the pipes that connect the homes and businesses to the main sewage line and literally exploded through the toilet bowls.
The flow of sewage lasted for several minutes, sending residents into a panic and out of their homes. Adding insult to their injury, the residents said they could not get a straight answer from Windward Roads or Government about who is going to be held responsible for the damage to their property.
Govt seeks independent review of waste system
The Daily Herald - PHILIPSBURG--The National Alliance (NA)/Heyliger government is seeking to have the firm KEMA conduct an independent cost and quality control/feasibility study of the proposed waste-to-energy plant that is to be built by Windward Roads Infrastructure to tackle the island’s growing garbage problem.
Approval for the control was tabled in the Central Committee Monday, because it will cost more than 100,000 euros, which excesses the amount that the Executive Council is allowed to sign off on without Island Council approval.
DRASTIC PLASTIC
The following statement was issued by The Royal Society towards the end of 2009: "Since the millennium, we have produced nearly as much plastic as in the prior half-century. Next year, 300 million tonnes of plastic will be manufactured worldwide and one-third of all plastics will go into packaging.” If that statement doesn’t sound very worrying, then think again, because it should scare the hell out of you.
‘Shine St. Maarten’ to clean island for Easter
The Daily Herald - PHILIPSBURG--“Shine St. Maarten” is the title of an island-wide clean up and beautification campaign aimed at making the island sparkle in time for Easter. Leader of Government Commissioner William Marlin made the announcement in his New Year’s Message.
He said, “I consider our natural environment our most valuable legacy. We owe it to those to whom we will leave our island to ensure that our environment is an enhanced legacy.”
Scientology Freewinds Enviro Criminals?
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Bonaire-State of emergency Part 2
For some years now down in Bonaire, Sean Paton has been fighting to stop the Scientology ship Freewinds from dumping it's raw untreated sewage and waste into the bush lands and ditches of the island. We have covered it here several times and tried to bring some exposure to the issue.
The latest videos from Sean show us that the water table of Bonaire now appears to be contaminated and that several wells should, in any self respecting country, be closed to public use. It would seem though that the Government of Bonaire is not self respecting, it has seemingly done NOTHING to stop this dumping by Freewinds. It's is interesting though that now they have taken to doing the dumping at night.
Please watch the two videos above and please leave a message on You Tube in support of Sean.
SXM's Gasification Waste Plant
As reported on SXM PE previously, Theo is moving, albeit at a snails pace, in putting together a solution for the dump and waste. His solution is a gasification plant, a process that is being used in many places around the World and which may well be the best solution for us, considering we have no recycling, no public awareness and no sorting programs of any kind. This plant will 'gasify' 95% of our waste.
The real story here, isn't it always, is just how this plant is going to be set up and who is going to manage it. LH wrote about that selection process back in January. News reaching me mention something about a company that Dollison set up a couple decades ago, which has been inactive, but will be part of this operation. Yes, the same Dollison that it is rumored SOAB have suggested be removed from his current position.
It is also rumored that Windward Roads, the same people who have done such a great job managing the dump so far, will also have a role to play.
Batch gasification facility being looked at for waste management
PHILIPSBURG--The Daily Herald has learned that the Island Government is considering investing in a batch gasification plant to manage waste, and subsequently provide an additional five to six megawatts in energy to the island’s electricity grid. Although no details could be obtained about the type of gasification plant and its specifications, it is understood the facility would cost government approximately US $100 million. [More....]
