Dump Burning Again

Yesterday the black smoke was visible even from the airport There was some drone footage posted elsewhere but I can not find a good link to anything. There was also a fire/burn last Sunday. The local residents are furious over this and has led to health concerns.

Dump Burning

I thought you had eaten too much hot sauce.

That is some impressive smoke

As I stated, very visible and even from the airport. Not sure what the status is now.

Three or four years ago we awoke in the wee hours of the morning because of a disgusting smell throughout our apartment at the Towers. We are well away from Pondfill and the dump location yet the smell indoors was disgusting. We had gone to bed with our doors and windows wide open to catch the breezes and that was what we experienced. For a full day it was disgusting. I can't imagine what the residents who live nearby have to put up with, and on a regular basis no less! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/thumbsdown.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/thumbsdown.gif" alt="" />

Not to ask a stupid question, but does anyone know WHY the dump burns all the time? The current fire is supposedly from tires, but is that the cause all the time? Tires normally shouldn't go to the landfill anyway, should they?

Remember, this is SXM and no EPA. Some could be intentional, some could be from combustion and some from burning trash hauled in. Even at home trash trucks catch on fire at times. Two children of friends were in the hospital from asthma attacks and they feel it has to do with the dump burning.

Garbage ignites via spontaneous combustion. I agree that the tires don't belong there; and tire fires are notoriously impossible to put out.

Don't know if it is the same situation, and I hope I've got this right, but quite a few years back a regional landfill a few towns away from us had similar problems with frequent fires erupting and as I recall, they said it was natural combustion caused by underground pockets of methane gas that builds up and eventually self-ignites. Years later and many dollars spent, they were able to resolve the problems and ultimately the landfill was closed for good. Don't know if this is the same basic problem or not, but if the landfill on SXM were to close, I can't imagine what they would do. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

OK thanks.

Might be better to have tires there than others places I can think of like dumped out at sea.

Tires can be recycled at very little cost. On an Island that has 0 ressources, recycling should be a way of life...

On an island the size of St. Martin, I doubt that very much.
Who is going to use the recycled material on the island and for what?

Ship it off island and it gets very expensive.
Maybe you know something that I don't.

So what is the cost to recycle a tire on a small island with no industry to use them?

Tires can be retreaded, they can be shredded and used in asphalt, they can be turned into shock absorbers to make new buildings resistant to earth quakes.

They can be pyrolyzed to create aromatic oils.

And so on.

Yes I do know somthing you don't, I did my engineeing school thesis on tire recycling for 3rd world countries back in 1979.

Tires could also become an artificial reef. Its been done in many places.

Yeah, last Century!
Back in 1979 there was a real Tire Retreading business in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world.

Then came the changeover from bias-ply tires to almost everyone using radial tires. That completely changed the economics and economies of scale of the entire tire industry, including retreading (which pretty much became a dinosaur for passenger tires). I too, also know something about the subject matter. I actually may know more about tires than you do. Going back to that era, how about the Firestone 500 vs. the 721?
What is the difference?

Whatever you wrote at that time is so completely out of date I'm surprised you even mention it. It would be like a landline telephone thesis before the advent of cell phones!
The world has changed since then.

And how the hell are you going to make old tires in St. Martin into shock absorbers? I didn't know that there was such a factory on the island. Or are we talking about shipping old used tires overseas? What is the inexpensive economics of that? This is not 1979.

That I have heard of, but know nothing about, and have no idea if it would work here, but it maybe worth someone exploring.

Uhmn, not exactly Tire reefs are a very bad idea

True tire recycling here in the US is not a business that will have a positive cash flow. It needs to be subsidized. The equipment is expensive and you need to process a lot of tires through the equipment. In the USA you pay a "tipping fee" for tire recycling when you have new tires put on your rims. SXM really doesn't have enough tires to justify on island recycling and no tire "tipping fee" charge. So the option is to pick up and transport the tires to a facility somewhere else to do this which isn't cheap. So there the tires lay.

Wendell

I think most would consider it cost prohibitive...

Si senoir.

Wendell

Didn't know. So much for that idea. Sounds like if they could find a way to hold them together and not use metal it would have worked. Something not biodegradable that would hold them together.

It would think tires have some amount of oil in them, no? No good for the plant life and little fishes.

If "they" could make a concrete block big enough so that a dozen or more could be imbedded halfway into it, then dump it in the barren areas to create an artificial reef. That should last for years and years.

Good lord, why does this board tolerate this kind of bullying?

I don't know anything about tire recycling, but an island like SXM MUST recycle even if it comes at a cost. There's just no place to put all the trash. Plus, there have to be a lot of container ships heading back to the US and PR with empty containers since everything comes in by boat and the island doesn't manufacture anything. I would think the government could work something out with the shipping companies to return recyclables to the mainland. But to attack someone who suggests the island should recycle, geez <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/cloud.gif" alt="" />

Bullying? Really? I think we all know the island needs to recycle and I don't think bullying was the posters intent here, but that's just me...... I took this as more info on a hot topic here.

But for the record, who is supposed to pay for sending the island trash to the US - who ultimately has no responsibility for it? The island has a recycling program of sorts and it is all too often ignored by too many - visitors and residents alike. And since they already can't pay for many of their current obligations. Just sayin'......<img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

The island government concerned about something? You must be kidding.

I see you have over 10,000 posts, so you've obviously been on this board a long time. The fact that you don't see a problem with the tone of that post says a lot about you and about this board.

Its not my issue, but SXM brings in millions of dollars in tourism every year. Some of that money has to be spent to maintain the island and keep it clean, and that includes by recycling. Ultimately, no matter who pays the bill, the cost will be passed on to the tourists, but it seems to me that's exactly who should bear it. We visit the island, we enjoy it and we want it to be clean and safe. That comes at a cost.

OK, I've said enough. This place is an asylum. Peace out.

As SXMWendall stated, in the US, you pay a "recycle fee" when you buy a new tire. This supposedly helps pay for when the tire has to be disposed of. Maybe SXM could start doing the same. Any tire brought onto the Island has to be taxed a 3 or 4.00 fee. The money could then be used to ship old tires back to wherever, for whatever.

Lucky,

I, too, can read and note that you've been on the forum for about 38 days and have about 13 posts here. I know Raspy (more or less) and don't take offense at much of what he says, but that's another story.

Sorry you find both his and my post to be offensive - and even sorrier yet you see this forum as an asylum since most people use it to garner much needed and wanted information on an island we all love. And most of us take pleasure from being able to help. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

That was kinda my thoughts. The government can't even get together to do something for safety of it's revenue source. Let alone recycle tires.

Wendell

Who's being a bully now? Pat is a well-respected member of this forum, and you're not going to make very many people happy by disrespecting her. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/cloud.gif" alt="" />

He must not have seen the quote on every post of hers.
""Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat
them."

Lucky--While I often don't agree with the tone of Rasputin's posts, I don't really find the the tone of your posts much better. This is just a message board. We often need to step back and take a breath and remember that. This is just a place to share information about the island that we all love. Don't take things so seriously, and be kind to your fellow man.