The Public Body Bonaire (OLB) has taken steps to improve the execution of tasks in the area of permitting, supervision, and enforcement (VTH). However, VTH policies and programming are not up to date, and supervision and enforcement require more attention. The situation around the waste company Selibon remains concerning and complex compared to August 2024, making it even more urgent.
This is noted by the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) during an inspection at the OLB. The ILT urges improvements in the VTH process and concrete actions to achieve the removal and processing of waste at Selibon. The OLB has made progress by setting up a system for notifications (type II companies) and initiating permit procedures for companies that require permits (type III). Forty-one companies have been identified that should have had a permit since before 2010. Only five of these companies have a comprehensive environmental permit. Since 2024, six companies have submitted an application for an environmental permit. One draft decision has been prepared for this. Inspections at permit-required companies (type III) are not or not systematically carried out by the OLB.
Selibon
The waste intake at Selibon Lagun continues to grow steadily. Concrete actions to remove and process waste are lacking. As a result, the landfill site has further increased in size. After an ILT inspection in August 2024, the acting Kingdom Representative and later the OLB started improvements. Containers with biomedical waste were removed, asbestos-containing waste was stored in temporarily repaired sea containers, slaughter waste was buried under controlled conditions, and underground fires at the landfill were partially extinguished. However, these are not structural solutions for the acute problems at the waste center. A decisive approach with sufficient financial resources is lacking.
Toleration Declarations
For the VTH process at complex companies on the island such as the waste company Selibon and the electricity producer Contour Global, capacity, knowledge, and expertise are lacking. As a result, the OLB cannot adequately fulfill its responsibilities. The ILT observes that decision-making around permit procedures stagnates and that toleration declarations are regularly issued. Legal deadlines for making decisions are also exceeded in multiple cases. In European Netherlands, the VTH tasks for such companies have been transferred to an environmental service, and the competent authority lies with the province.
Support
Support from the Environmental Service Netherlands in permitting and supervision has visibly led to initial results. It is uncertain whether this will continue as this support ends at the end of 2025. The ministries of IenW and BZK expect that the OLB will finance itself from January 1, 2026, but this has not yet been confirmed. This situation leads to uncertainty about further cooperation.
ILT Inspection
During the inspection from September 15 to 19, 2025, the ILT examined how the OLB complies with the requirements of the BES Establishments and Activities Decree (IAB BES). This decree, which came into effect on April 1, 2024, establishes four company types for Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba (BES). Specific environmental rules apply per company type, depending on the level of environmental impact of the business activities performed. The OLB is responsible for permitting, supervision, and enforcement (VTH) of environmental rules for company types I, II, and III. The Kingdom is responsible for type IV, the large fuel storage companies.
