The Martinique Waste Treatment and Recovery Union (SMTVD) has signed an agreement with the Fort-de-France Public Prosecutor’s Office. This means it can avoid a conviction. This is a first in Martinique. The institution is committed to repairing the environmental damage caused by its activity, securing its sites and paying a fine of 150,000 euros. (Re)watch our report.
Eddylia Eugène-Mormin and Patrick Jean-Guitteaud • Published on August 2, 2024 at 1:00 p.m.
There is no time to panic for the director of SMTVD. The day after the court decision, the action plan is already well advanced.
In addition to optimizing space, the Waste Treatment Union is required to secure its sites to prevent fires from breaking out. In less than a year, 22 incidents have been recorded.
Expensive for the union, and very inconvenient for local residents in Prêcheur and Sainte-Luce. More than 80 people will be compensated to the tune of 94,000 euros in total.
Nadia, a homeowner in Diamant, is not on the list, but she remembers those months spent locked in her house without being able to open her windows.
It was maybe more than a year ago. Indeed, the smoke, at the time when it was most intense, we had a little bit of deposits on the cars. It was still unpleasant. We have an asthmatic child, so we were a little bothered. (…) They have to take precautions.
Nadia, resident of Diamant
Precautions which will remain insufficient if the union does not improve its performance in terms of selective sorting, the only way to sustainably reduce congestion at sites.
Since last year, we have planned the refurbishment of our sorting centers. It is true that this is what explains the current overexploitation of the Petit Galion center. We have also planned all the security measures at the sites by acquiring pipes for fire fighting.
Marie-Claude Elie Marius, Director General of SMTVD Services
The improvements are estimated at more than one million euros and must be implemented in the next three years. A hard blow for the structure, which is already over-indebted and still under the administration of the Court of Auditors. But it intends to cope without exceeding its budget by cutting back on operating expenses, for example.
