The St. Maarten Tourist Bureau partnered with Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC) in 2009 to establish the Blue Flag Program on St. Maarten and launch a continuous environmental awareness campaign aimed at encouraging residents and visitors to dispose of their waste in a responsible manner. This partnership enjoys the full support of the Honorable Minister Romeo F. Pantophlet and was initiated under the direction of Mr. Frans Richardson at that time Commissioner of Tourism and Ms. Regina LaBega then Director of the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau.
As part of this campaign the Tourist Bureau and EPIC developed Environmental Codes of conduct signs and have been working on placing garbage bins on all of St. Maarten’s beaches. The project has been a long time in the making but this past week eighteen garbage bins were placed on Mullet Bay Beach and four were placed on Kim Sha Beach.
Several Environmental Codes of conduct signs have already been installed on Great Bay Beach, Little Bay Beach and at Isle de Sol Marina. Similar signs will be placed on Mullet Bay and Kim Sha Beach shortly followed by placement of signs and bins on other beaches in the near future.
"As a destination with 37 beautiful beaches, we are taking every measure to keep them clean and pristine to keep residents and visitors coming back and able to relax and enjoy the perfect setting in the Caribbean. In order to do this, we would like to solicit the cooperation of the beach users to make responsible use of the bins and aide us in keeping our beaches clean for all" said Edward Dest, interim director of tourism for the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau.
According to EPIC project manager Rueben J. Thompson the Foundation is extremely pleased to see this project being carried out successfully. Thompson called on the public at large to please make proper use of the bins and refrain from abusing them.
This project was made a reality in partnership with and through the dedication and contributions of the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau, Environmental Protection In the Caribbean (EPIC), St. Maarten Pride Foundation, St Maarten Timeshare Association and The Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Development, Environment and Infrastructure.