Garbage disaster

The report that citizens in St. Maarten produce 22 times more household garbage than their brethren in Curacao is a rather shocking eye opener. It is also a piece of information that should guide the government towards a sustainable approach of its huge waste management problem.

It is almost cynical that the same citizens that complain about the constant fires on the dump now appear to be part of the problem.

Bringing waste levels down to acceptable levels should now be a top priority. To tackle this issue, the government must find out how it is possible that local citizens create so much more garbage than the people in Curacao.

Prevention must become the focus; that is the only way to avoid a real garbage disaster in the near future.