WILLEMSTAD - The Curaçao government will be even more committed to combating illegal waste dump. A special team is being set up to deal with waste dump on the island. Minister of Traffic, Transport and Spatial Planning (VVRP) Charles Cooper announced this.
According to Cooper, urgent action is needed to tackle the problem, because the island is becoming increasingly dirty. Commercials can be heard and seen on radio and television in which people are made aware of the problem and their own responsibility, but according to the minister this is not enough.
A special team is now being set up that, according to Cooper, will take strong action against the illegal waste dump. The team will consist of police officers and falls under the Ministry of VVRP. The Council of Ministers approved the creation of the team last week.
The team will impose sanctions on those who illegally dump their waste. For example, fines can be handed out, but tougher measures such as confiscating and 'crushing' the cars of people who dump waste are not excluded. The team will work with four pick-up trucks.
It is not the first time that the government has made plans against the illegal waste dump. A plan was already drawn up in 2018 to detect illegal waste dumpers using drones, and a team was also set up in 2017 to deal with the problem. In 2020, citizens started a petition to make Curaçao cleaner.