The Selibon Lagun landfill on Bonaire, which has been causing serious environmental nuisance for years, will close by 2028 at the latest. The Executive Council of Bonaire is investing 6.1 million dollars (5.3 million euros) to combat the most urgent risks to public health and nature. These are the main points of the agreement that the Executive Council signed in The Hague on Thursday with State Secretary Eddie van Marum of Kingdom Relations (BBB).
The landfill has been causing nuisance on Bonaire for decades, due to mismanagement by the waste company Selibon NV and inadequate supervision from the executive council. Local residents are plagued by smoke due to persistent fires at the landfill, where dangerous chemicals are dumped. Previous research found that shipping containers containing biomedical waste are leaking and that coastal waters near Selibon Lagun contain high concentrations of heavy metals.
The environmental nuisance led to a clash between Bonaire and The Hague last fall. In November 2024, acting Kingdom Representative Jan Helmond, link between the central government and the Caribbean municipalities, intervened immediately and took over the management of waste processor Selibon. The executive council then went to court. Helmond was dismissed in February due to procedural errors, but stated that there had been “neglect of duties” by the board on Bonaire, which called for “better cooperation with the Kingdom Representative to structurally solve the waste problem.”
The subsequent measures taken by the Executive Council proved to be insufficient. On November 4, the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) issued a report showing that the situation “is still worrying and complex” and that “supervision and enforcement must be tightened up.” Necessary administrative investments are also lagging behind. At the beginning of October, the House of Representatives had already adopted a motion by a large majority to close Selibon more quickly.
‘Strong agreements’
In a letter to the House of Representatives, State Secretary Van Marum states that “strong agreements” have been made in Thursday’s agreement with the Executive Council, which was called to The Hague for consultation at the beginning of this week. An important step is that Selibon will now close two years earlier than planned: by the end of 2028 at the latest.
What is also striking is that the council of Bonaire is prepared to make a larger financial contribution to the necessary investments in sustainable improvements at the landfill: 3.8 million dollars (3.3 million euros) for this year and 2.3 million dollars (2 million euros) for 2026. There will also be an independent investigation into Selibon’s business operations. The Executive Council commits itself to the results and agrees that experts from the NL Environment Agency will be involved in the licensing, supervision and enforcement tasks.
Clark Abraham, the deputy who signed the agreement on behalf of Bonaire, says that “it all happened quickly” and that “a lot of work has been done in recent weeks.” Abraham acknowledges that there is still a lot of work to be done at Selibon, although he does not agree with all the critical points in the report: “There was exactly one gentleman on inspection on Bonaire, and he was quite selective in the facts.” He also places responsibility for the problems at Selibon BV, which “did not send annual accounts” and, according to him, is an organization “that is on its way”.
Jan Verbeek, chairman of the residents’ organization Pro Lagun on Bonaire, which has been campaigning for the closure of the landfill for years, is moderately positive. “We are happy with the consensus between The Hague and the local government to make more money available. And we are curious about the substantive plans and timelines, we will continue to monitor this critically. We have an appointment with the local government next week.”
The closure of Selibon Lagun as of 2028 means that Bonaire will have to look for a new location. Deputy Abraham is considering a branch near the former Bonaire Oil Petroleum Corporation (BOPEC), because it is “close to a port to be able to remove contaminated material.” The site itself is still heavily polluted.
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