PHILIPSBURG:--- Abandoned and wrecked vehicles will be tagged for removal as the Ministry of VROMI begins a wider hurricane-season cleanup of roadsides and public areas, Minister Patrice Gumbs Jr. announced Wednesday.
The cleanup will include roads, overgrown greenery and areas where illegally discarded vehicles and bulky waste have accumulated.
VROMI will work with the Ministry of Justice to remove abandoned vehicles from public spaces.
Gumbs reminded vehicle owners that leaving abandoned cars along public roads is illegal. The public is being asked to cooperate with ministry personnel, enforcement officers and contractors over the coming weeks.
Where possible, the cleaning of roads and greenery will take place at the same time as the removal of wrecked and abandoned vehicles.
The campaign comes as Sint Maarten enters the peak period of the Atlantic hurricane season, when discarded vehicles, appliances and other debris can become hazards and obstruct cleanup or drainage operations.
Gumbs also warned residents against leaving couches, refrigerators, stoves and other bulky items next to roadside garbage bins when they miss their scheduled collection time.
He stressed that residents can dispose of waste at the public landfill without paying an entrance charge.
“Make the effort to bring it to the public landfill,” Gumbs urged.
The minister said every properly discarded item means less garbage along Sint Maarten’s roads.
Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina also raised concern about the worsening appearance of the country. He said he had observed an increase in litter along roadsides, beaches, neighborhoods and public spaces.
Mercelina welcomed the abandoned-vehicle campaign but said keeping the country clean cannot be treated solely as the government’s responsibility.
The Prime Minister called on residents to accept responsibility for the waste they produce and to stop contributing to the deterioration of public areas.
VROMI’s solid-waste collection and district-cleaning tender documents are scheduled to become available to interested bidders on Monday, August 17. The Ministry said information concerning the cost of the tender documents would be published through the government’s media outlets.