PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Sjorensley Valies, United People’s Party candidate number 17 for the
January 9th 2020 Parliamentary Elections has offered what he says are some low-cost solutions for waste management which can already positively impact communities on St. Maarten.
Valies is advocating the urgent implementation of Waste Management Measures as well as an increase of Up-Cycling.
Valies said in a release issued on Friday establishing “Re- Up-cycling areas” where the sorted and bailed recyclable materials can be stored and housed until ready to transport to appropriate locations for disposal or shipping abroad as the case may be is an excellent first step.
As a candidate, he is proposing that the government does its part to educate the community on the steps that can already be taken to prepare for the future improvement of the Philipsburg Waste Disposal Site. “This is one of many initiatives that should be an integral step in the chain of establishing a serious recycling process for the
island,” said Valies.
He said, “The mandate to start sorting and bailing is not something we need to wait for the government to tell us to do.” He also said he recognizes that a low spending power for the population based on a weak performing economy, can result in people not wanting to dispose of things they own that are likely outdated or not good.
The Sint Maarten poverty rate is an issue that has been present for the past few years.
According to Valies, “The fear of not knowing what tomorrow will bring, causes many households to collect and or hoard items unnecessarily and then these items eventually get old and dilapidated past possible use and end up on our ever-growing landfill.”
The waste management issue should have been solved a long time ago. We live on an island with minimal space, and yet we have not managed this space appropriately. The United People’s Party has in the past through its founder Theodore Heyliger brought forward an innovative way to ease the burden on our limited infrastructure. The time to act and implement these measures is now.
He is also encouraging the continued use of creative measures to make use of some of the items that people dispose of for arts and crafts. Many things we deem as waste are items that others would be willing to pay a minimal cost for to be refurbished or reused, and this is the basic principle of Up-cycling. These “Re- Up-cycling centers” can also be a means of nurturing a healthy micro-economy in our communities.
“Some waste may even be considered viable resources that can serve specific purposes and even provide jobs which will revitalize our community and help us to reconnect with our neighbors,” Valies said.
