Mullet Bay:--- Management of BBW who is currently executing the demolition of the Mullet Bay ruins plans to take drastic actions as early as Thursday should they not be allowed to dump waste materials from the Mullet Bay demolition at the Sanitary Landfill in Philipsburg.Managing Director of BBW Fernando Williams said that the head of Maintenance of Public Works Claudius Buncamper has stopped the company from dumping old carpets and other materials that cannot be recycled. Williams said the stoppage began since last week and he is to the point where he is ready to file a court injunction against the person behind the scheme. Williams said other companies are allowed to dump their waste on the landfill except BBW and he wants to know how it is possible for a senior civil servant to stop his work men from executing their duties while the landfill management was outsourced to Windward Roads.
Williams said the concrete and trees are being crushed and stored on the site but old carpets and other materials that cannot be crushed has to be taken to the landfill and Buncamper he said instructed the security guard and Windward Road not to allow any dumping from BBW. The owners of BBW have already threatened to take action on Thursday if the matter is not resolved before the end of Wednesday.
Efforts made to contact Buncamper by phone for a comment on Wednesday proved futile as he could not be reached. SMN News also contacted the Minister of VROMI Theodore Heyliger by email for a comment on the ongoing issue but Heyliger did not respond to the email we dispatched to him.
It should be noted that the Sanitary Landfill in Philipsburg is nearing the end of its life span and the government of St. Maarten promised years ago to begin constructing a Solid Waste Management Plant, but the plant is still not in sight. Just recently, a large fire broke out at the dump causing great concerns to the residents and workers that are being affected by the constant dump fires. The Prosecutor's Office is also conducting an investigation into the management of the landfill, that investigation is still ongoing.
When SMN News got word of the new developments and the predicaments BBW is now faced with, we asked Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Wescot Williams who was participating in the weekly Council of Ministers press briefing about the new developments but the Prime Minister said she was not aware of the developments. SMN News then asked the Prime Minister about the construction of the Solid Waste Management Plant which the Minister of VROMI and current Deputy Prime Minister Theodore Heyliger said he has been working on these past years. Prime Minister Wescot-Williams said the construction of a Solid Waste Plant is a priority for her government but there is a huge price tag to it regardless of which route government takes in Solid Waste Management. Wescot Williams said despite the price tag the landfill remains a priority for the government she is heading. When asked what does her government plan to tell Her Majesty on her scheduled visit the end of this year since Her Majesty has on more than one occasion raised concerns about the Sanitary Landfill in the center of Philipsburg. The Prime Minister said no one can be more concerned about the Solid Waste Management Plant more than the people who are in charge of managing country St. Maarten to which she is at the head table.