Saba has exported more than 1 million US pounds in recyclables in 12 months, from March 2021
until March 2022. The recyclable materials were exported to the United States and handled at a waste
management facility there. Combined with the last shipment of March 2022, a total of 1,0132,209
pounds in recyclables were transported off the island in containers.
Plastics
The vast majority of the export, about 70 percent, was plastics, of which 10 percent are bottles and
caps. The rest, 60 percent, are miscellaneous plastics. All types of plastic can be recycled as long as they
fit in the orange waste container which every household has for the purpose of collecting recyclables.
Cardboard makes up 24 percent of the amount which was exported, metal cans about 3 percent and
aluminum cans 1 percent. Even though 3 and 1 percent may not seem much, it is still important to
separate and recycle these cans to prevent having to burn them. Saba also exports metals on a regular
basis. Large metal objects, such as cars and zinc sheets, are exported with bulk shipments.
The recyclable materials (plastics, cans and cardboard) are compressed and placed in large bags or tied
together in bundles, and stored in the containers at the waste management facility to await export for
further processing.
Expensive
However, exporting recyclables is expensive and yields very little or no profit. In most cases, the sale of
the recyclable materials does not yield a sufficient return to counteract the cost of shipping. The export
of recyclable materials since its start before 2018 has been increasing drastically, and the Public Entity
Saba has been struggling with allocating the necessary funding to pay for the export and to cover the
structural costs of operating the waste management facility.
Despite considerable investments made over the years at the waste management facility by the local
government and the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (IenW), there is still a
need for more structural funding.
Less burning
Recycling contributes to a better environment. Residents are encouraged to sort recyclable materials at
home and deposit these in the orange bin. “We should make recycling a way of life,” said Camilo Usuga,
the new Waste Management Manager who is taking over from Coulton Johnson.
April 26, 2022
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Sorting at home and depositing the recyclable materials in the orange bin saves the men at the waste
management facility a lot of sorting work. “The better we recycle, the less we have to burn,” said Usaga.
As a result of the past and current initiatives, burning the waste has been reduced to once a week.
Transition
Over the years waste management on Saba has transitioned greatly, stated Commissioner of
Infrastructure Bruce Zagers. “We have evolved from a scenario where there was absolutely no
separation of any waste streams, where everything was being burnt together. Now we export more than
1 million pounds of recyclable materials per year and burning of only organic waste happens once per
week in a controlled manner in a state-of-the-art open-air burner. This is real progress,” he said.
According to the Commissioner, the transition hasn’t been easy. “It took longer than any of us wanted or
expected. And, we still face considerable challenges such as structural funding for the continuity of the
project and the ever-increasing export costs. This transition is still a work in progress as we aim to
further improve our processes with the end goal of having a sustainable waste management system,”
said Zagers.
Collection
The contents of the waste containers are collected separately at the homes and businesses. There is a
pick-up schedule for the black (for non-recyclable waste) and orange container on separate days. The
open-back truck collects large items, such as white goods and cardboard, on a regular schedule.
A first Home Chemical Recycling Center has been installed at the Juliana’s Sports Field in The Bottom,
where people can dispose of chemical items, such as large batteries, car batteries, paint, light bulbs and
small electronics, in a responsible way. A second Home Chemical Recycling Center is coming to the
Windwardside soon.