Minister Gumbs says car wrecks removed 'almost daily', very costly

GREAT BAY--Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (VROMI), Patrice Gumbs, on Wednesday addressed the issue of abandoned car wrecks that continue to blight the landscape of St. Maarten.

Minister Gumbs emphasized that while the impression may exist that wrecks are not being removed, the government is in fact conducting removals on a near-daily basis. “We are removing car wrecks almost daily,” the Minister stated. “The challenge lies not in the lack of action, but in the recurring nature of the problem.”

He stressed that garbage disposal, including abandoned vehicles, must be understood as a shared responsibility. “Garbage is not solely government’s problem. We need to reflect on our own role in disposal, what we put out, and what we allow others to put out. If your neighbor leaves a wreck in March and by August it is still there, government should be informed. This is not about being an informant, but recognizing that everyone has a role in preventing these situations.”

Minister Gumbs explained that abandoned vehicles often create additional complications for government cleanup crews. Many of these wrecks have had license plates removed and Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) scratched off, making ownership difficult to trace. Despite these challenges, the government continues to commit significant resources to the issue. “We spend, on average, a five-digit figure annually on vehicle collection,” the Minister revealed, describing the cost as “astronomical.”

However, the Minister acknowledged that enforcement remains a weak point under the current legal framework. “The waste ordinance as it stands does not give VROMI the legal power to issue fines directly. At present, we can only write a letter to an identified owner requesting removal. Otherwise, cases must go through the justice system, which is already overburdened with higher-priority matters.”

As part of ongoing reforms, Minister Gumbs announced that updates to the waste ordinance are in progress as part of the broader Landfill EDMP Project. “The revised ordinance will serve as a tool to strengthen government’s ability to mitigate these issues. It will allow us not only to send the message that waste management is everyone’s concern, but also to impose fines and hold accountable those who create these problems for the wider community.”

He encouraged the public to participate in upcoming discussions. “I recommend that residents attend on September 3rd, where more information will be shared on how the revised waste ordinance will empower government and help address waste management challenges more effectively.”

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