Clean Up… what if there were no volunteers?

Whilst, at first glance, these clean-up operations help to enhance the beauty of the area by removing visual pollution, they have become essential for preserving the natural environment, both on land and at sea… because rubbish does not stay in one place, and what is thrown on land often ends up in the sea. 

The campaign kicked off last Saturday at Little Bay Beach & Pond. The first to get stuck in were pupils from Oranje School, Leonard Conner School and Charlotte Brookson Academy… 96 pupils who, in just one hour, collected 123 kg of rubbish! They were then joined by 175 volunteers who shared out the thankless task, working from the beach, around the pond and along the road. As well as the inevitable plastic bottles and cans – which are easier to throw out of a car window than to take to a recycling bin – they unfortunately found much bulkier rubbish: large quantities of building materials and old car wrecks right in the heart of the mangrove forest. It goes without saying what impact these vehicles and their toxic components have on the natural environment! On this single clean-up day alone, 691 kg of small items of rubbish were collected… but, due to a lack of resources, the bulkier items or those requiring specialised handling had to be left behind.
The following day, nearly 90 volunteers were back at work, including members of the Clean St Martin association and the Saint-Martin SNSM station, to clean up part of Anse des Sables and La Belle Créole. Whilst the teams on land were meticulously combing the coastline, the lifeguards at sea stepped in to recover the submerged rubbish. They collected 110 bags, weighing over 740 kg, which were transported in tipper lorries generously provided by LVMO and processed free of charge, once again, by Verde SXM.

What is the point of laws? 

Participants used Ocean Conservancy’s Clean Swell app (which can be used all year round) as well as data sheets to record the litter collected. This data helps to identify the types of litter found on coastlines and can inform policies on waste management, tackling fly-tipping, education, recycling and the protection of the marine environment – provided that public authorities take it into account.
Indeed, nearly half (47 per cent) of the litter recorded at Little Bay consists of single-use plastic or polystyrene items: bottles, bags, cups, food containers, packaging, straws and plastic cutlery. The same is true on the French side: plastic litter dominates there too.
This raises the question of law enforcement. Since 2022, Sint Maarten has had legislation in place banning single-use plastic bags, plastic straws and polystyrene food containers. However, the date of its entry into force was to be set by government decree. Since then, the authorities have been working on a new legislative framework designed, in particular, to regulate the import, distribution and sale of these products. In France, the distribution of single-use plastic bags has been banned since July 2016 for shopping bags and since January 2017 for other types. Since 1 January 2021, straws, disposable cutlery, stirrers, lids for takeaway cups, expanded polystyrene containers, cocktail sticks, balloon sticks, plastic confetti and other oxo-degradable plastic items have also been banned.
The volunteers also raised concerns about the large amount of fill and debris blocking certain parts of the public beach near Little Bay Pond. Against a backdrop of reduced public access to several local beaches, this situation is particularly worrying. This is a phenomenon observed across the Caribbean. In France, a decree published in the Official Journal on 4 June this year tightens the rules concerning the disposal, sorting and abandonment of waste… but who is enforcing them? 

Are we asking the right questions?

Be that as it may, whether on the Dutch or French side, it is the volunteers – armed with nothing but gloves and a few measly bin bags – who are taking on part of the task of cleaning up the area. Every year, public awareness campaigns on the collection of bulky waste and end-of-life vehicles spring up… just like the rubbish itself, because they are not followed up with action! As for the clean-up agreements, which aim to pool resources between the two parts of the island, their effects remain barely visible on the ground. In their defence, it is the citizens who are the primary polluters. What are the solutions to put an end to this human-caused pollution?
Changing attitudes is undoubtedly the first step: educating the youngest members of society, certainly, but also reminding adults that they, too, have a duty to set an example. Don Quixote fought against windmills; our humanity is now fighting against its own stupidity.
To all those who, after a drink or a picnic, leave bottles, packaging and leftovers in the bushes or among the rocks at Friar’s Bay: you brought them with you, so why not take them away again? To craftspeople and businesses who mistake the Eastern Bay’s recycling bins for a rubbish tip: no, paint tins and old air-conditioners are not household waste. To consumers of plastic bottles: you can deposit them in the machines at both Super U stores and get a few cents in return. To car manufacturers: put ashtrays back in vehicles! In the meantime, a can half-filled with water does the job just fine… and works on the beach too to stop cigarette ends ending up everywhere. Truly everywhere. Everyone must do their bit. It can’t always be the same people who have to clean up after others’ inconsiderate behaviour.