Cole Bay garbage hauler reportedly unpaid for three months, stoppage looms

GREAT BAY--The garbage hauler responsible for household waste collection in Cole Bay has reportedly gone unpaid for the past three months, even as the company continues to carry out its duties under mounting financial and operational strain. That patience however, is running thin.

Reliable sources with knowledge of the situation told The People's Tribune that both management and workers have been under sustained pressure to continue providing a vital public service despite not receiving payment for work already performed.

According to information received, the company is among those whose original five-year garbage collection contract recently expired and was subsequently extended by the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure, VROMI, for an additional six months. The extension was intended to keep operations in place until a new tender process is completed for garbage haulers to cover a three-year contract period.

The reported payment delay comes at a time when the country continues to face garbage collection challenges in several districts, with Cole Bay repeatedly cited as one of the areas affected by service disruptions and illegal dumping. While the hauler has reportedly continued to execute the work to the best of its ability, the lack of payment over such an extended period places both the company and its employees in a difficult position, especially where fuel, equipment, labor, and other operational costs remain ongoing.

The issue also adds a new layer to the wider public discussion surrounding waste management in St. Maarten. During Wednesday’s Council of Ministers briefing, Minister Patrice Gumbs renewed calls for accountability from garbage haulers, businesses, and residents as the ministry continues to confront persistent collection problems and illegal dumping. He said the garbage situation in Cole Bay over the weekend was only the latest in a series of incidents that remain a serious concern.

At that briefing, Gumbs reminded haulers that they are contractually obligated to carry out daily household garbage collection and urged them to report operational challenges, including truck issues, directly to the contract management team rather than allowing service failures to continue unchecked. He also noted that government had already extended the current garbage collection contracts for six months and reassigned certain parcels to new haulers in an effort to improve performance in problem areas.

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