Abandoned vehicles: the big clear-up begins
On Thursday 23 July in Sandy Ground, the Collectivité of Saint-Martin launched its first operation to remove end-of-life vehicles from public roads. Around a hundred wrecks have already been identified on the French part of the island and will soon be removed.
The aim of the operation launched by the Local Authority is to free up and make public spaces safer. Led by the Territorial Police and the Environment Department, it will see 24 end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) removed from the streets of Sandy Ground. With no wheels, windscreens or number plates, these cars take up parking spaces, obstruct movement on pavements and can become breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Their presence also poses a risk during the hurricane season, as in the event of strong winds, certain parts can become projectiles.
Around a hundred cars identified
On public land, around a hundred end-of-life vehicles have already been identified. After Sandy Ground, operations are set to continue in Colombier, Quartier d’Orléans, and then across the whole island. On the ground, Territorial Police officers are responsible for locating abandoned vehicles, assessing their condition and tracing their owners where possible. When the police locate the owner, the Collectivité issues a formal notice in accordance with current regulations. The owner then has 15 days to remove their vehicle or take the necessary steps to rectify the situation. Once this period has elapsed and if the owner has taken no action, the Collectivité intervenes to have the end-of-life vehicle removed from the public highway.
Handling through to disposal
Once identified and marked by the Territorial Police, the vehicles are removed by a specialist contractor. The contractor then transports the wrecks to the Grandes Cayes eco-site so that they can be decontaminated, processed and scrapped by an approved operator. In implementing this scheme, the Collectivité is supported by the eco-organisation ‘Je Recycle Mon Véhicule’, which helps cover the costs associated with the removal, decontamination and processing of the wrecks. Owners of end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) located on private land can also contact the eco-organisation free of charge. A separate procedure from that applied on public roads enables them to have their vehicle removed and processed.
For Bernadette Davis, second vice-president of the Collectivité, this initiative is a continuation of the clean-up campaigns carried out over the past several years. Despite organised waste collection ‘seven days a week’, she argues, fly-tipping and end-of-life vehicles remain widespread across the territory. The Collectivité therefore aims to improve the quality of life and hopes to encourage everyone to take greater responsibility.
