The Public Entity St. Eustatius and Saba signed an Ambition document on Monday, June 20th, and Tuesday, June 21st, 2022, with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management to collaborate on waste management. As part of the agreement, both entities agreed to cooperate in six key areas:
· Formalization of a task force that works beyond the signing of the agreement
· Disposal of recyclables and non-recyclables
· Landfill/dump site management
· Long-term sustainable waste management solutions
· Knowledge sharing and training
· Communication and public awareness
Both local governments also agreed to prepare a separate long-term vision and action document outlining their plans for 2022-2030 and submit this to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management.
Commissioner of Infrastructure and Waste Management Bruce Zagers and Deputy Government Commissioner Claudia Toet signed on behalf of the Public Entities. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Waterworks, represented by the Director General Mr. R. Lapperre of Environmental and International Affairs, is also a signatory to the Ambition Document.
Everyone involved expressed a strong willingness to work together to finalize the general terms of an agreement to govern their shared ambitions. However, a final agreement will be subject to approval by the executive councils of both entities, the availability of both financial and human resources to execute the plan, and the agreement to work towards sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions.