KRALENDIJK – That waste management on Bonaire is expensive is by now well known. But the independent study by KPMG reveals above all why the bill on the island is so much higher than in the Netherlands. Not because of one single cause, but due to a combination of scale disadvantages, costly logistics and the absence of local processing facilities.
According to KPMG, Bonaire is at a disadvantage as a small island. Many costs are roughly equal to those of larger municipalities, while they have to be spread across far fewer residents and businesses. As a result, costs per household and per tonne of waste are automatically higher.
Adding to this is the fact that for a large number of waste streams on Bonaire, no processing options exist. Of the 33 waste fractions distinguished by Selibon, 17 are not permitted to be dumped at the Lagun landfill site. As long as no alternative processing is available on Bonaire, these waste streams must be shipped abroad by sea.
It is precisely those export costs that weigh heavily on the budget. KPMG calculates that shipping waste alone will cost nearly USD 11.3 million between 2026 and 2028. This makes transport one of the largest individual cost items within Selibon’s cost-covering operating budget.
Furthermore, according to KPMG, the current system is not yet complete. The researchers point out that certain future costs have not even been factored in. For example, the investment, staffing and energy costs of a future processing facility have been excluded from the calculations, because it is not yet clear what that installation will look like. The costs of clearing existing stockpiles of stored waste have also not been included. This means the final costs could turn out to be even higher than currently calculated.
Fundamentally different from the Netherlands
According to KPMG, this shows that waste management on a small Caribbean island is fundamentally different from that in European Netherlands. Not only the limited scale, but also the isolated location and dependence on international transport make the system considerably more expensive.
The researchers therefore emphasise that a future-proof waste system on Bonaire cannot be assessed solely on the basis of the level of the waste levy. Structural financing, more efficient processing and clear choices about the future design of the waste chain are also necessary, according to the report, to keep costs manageable.
