Waste exports set to become a multi-million dollar expense for Bonaire

KRALENDIJK – A growing share of Bonaire’s waste will need to be exported in the future. According to the confidential KPMG report on Selibon, this brings not only major logistical challenges but also substantial and partly uncertain costs.

KPMG’s calculations assume that 17 of the 33 waste fractions will no longer be permitted for disposal at Lagun. As long as no alternative processing facilities are available on Bonaire, these waste streams will have to be shipped abroad for processing.

For the period 2026 through 2028, KPMG estimates the annual costs for shipping and processing at approximately USD 3.6 million. Of that amount, around USD 3.4 million consists of transport costs and approximately USD 200,000 covers the actual processing of the waste. This involves roughly 6,188 tonnes of waste per year, spread across approximately 431 shipping containers, an average of one to two containers per day.

According to KPMG, this already represents a complex operation given Selibon’s current capacity. Should even more waste streams be prohibited from disposal in the future, the costs will rise rapidly, the researchers warn.

A second scenario examines what would happen if bulky household and bulky commercial waste also had to be exported. In that case, the number of containers would rise to approximately 1,200 per year and annual shipping and processing costs would climb to around USD 13.4 million.

A third scenario, in which virtually all waste fractions are exported, would result in approximately 3,000 containers per year and nearly USD 30 million in annual costs. KPMG notes that, according to Selibon, this is not a realistic option given the organisation’s current workforce and fleet of vehicles.

Significant uncertainty

At the same time, KPMG emphasises that the costs of export remain subject to considerable uncertainty. For many waste streams, no export currently takes place at all, meaning the actual costs are unknown. The researchers therefore had to rely on quotes, assumptions and limited real-world data to estimate the costs.

The report also notes that the calculations may already be outdated. During the research, Selibon received signals that sea freight rates could rise sharply due to international developments. According to KPMG, a tripling of transport rates could lead to an increase in total shipping costs of approximately 35 percent. This development has not been incorporated into the presented calculations.

KPMG therefore recommends that, in a next phase, additional quotes be requested from Dutch and international processors, and that it be investigated whether certain waste streams can be processed closer to Bonaire. This should provide a more realistic picture of the future costs of waste exports.