PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – On Friday, February 21,2020 the department of VROMI placed two garbage bins at the lookout point on Cole Bay Hill.
The lookout point is popular attraction for residents and visitors who stop at the top of the hill to get a glimpse of the view.
Many taxis and tour buses stop at the location, allowing their passengers to disembark and enjoy the lovely scene.
With this comes the challenge of garbage disposal, as those who visit the area are faced with the challenge of getting rid of their garbage, and as a result, much of the trash is left behind or simply discarded on the premises. As a solution to this problem, the Ministry of VROMI decided to place two garbage bins on the privately owned property, allowing visitors to the area to make use of the bins and properly dispose of their garbage.
Minister of VROMI, Chris Wever along with Johannes Schaminee from the VROMI department and Mr. Russell Bell, a member of the family that owns the property, were at the property on Friday afternoon to inspect the garbage bins and ensure that they were securely placed.
On Saturday morning, ten volunteering students from the Milton Peters College and their teacher, Mr. Frank Detering visited and clean up the area as part of their assignment on biology and environmental care. Among the garbage collected by the students were plastic bottles, plastic bags, plastic cups and straws, styrofoam, beer bottles, soda cans, cigarette boxes and other rubbish.
Minister Chris Wever said that he “encourages the entire population and visitors to the area, to keep the property clean by properly disposing of their trash and refrain from littering.”
