Businesses have to deal with the environment. The Establishments and activities Decree BES (IAB BES) and the Ministrial regulation establishments and activities BES (RIA BES) lays down environmental rules for all businesses in the Caribbean Netherlands.

Retail

Retail includes businesses supplying products for personal use to consumers. So these are shops such as clothing shops, bakeries, supermarkets, hardware stores, souvenir shops, etc.

On this page

Explanation of the activity

In the case of retail, activities subject to environmental rules may take place.  Some of these activities are:

  • storage of waste
  • discharge of waste water
  • large cooling systems, for example in supermarkets

These activities may cause soil or air pollution. In order to prevent or limit this as much as possible, environmental rules apply.

Where to find the rules

The rules for retail are set out in the Establishments and activities Regulation BES (RIA BES) Different topics may be applicable for retail activities, such as:

  • storage of waste: article 2.1.1
  • discharge of waste water: article 2.2.1 and article 2.2.2
  • cooling systems: paragraph 2.13.1

Additional rules are set out in the Island Ordinance. The Island Ordinance is still under development.

Type of business

The requirements of this activity apply to type 2 establishments.

Notification

For this activity, you must notify to the public entity no later than 4 weeks before starting up or changing your business. You can read the information you need to submit on the notification page.

Which rules apply

Wastes

When working in the retail sector, waste is often renerated.  For example, packaging material. You must have waste disposed of at the farm via an authorised collector. In any case, waste must be separated into cardboard and paper, plastic, aluminium and glass. Waste needs to be collected by an authorised waste carrier. In order to keep the company clean, waste should be removed  and collected regularly.

Waste water

Waste water is discharged into the public sewer system. If you do not have a connection  to the public sewer system, waste water is discharged into a  waste water treatment facility, for example a septic tank.

If there is no septic tank or public sewer, waste water may be temporarily discharged into a cesspool. This is subject to transitional law.  This is set out in Article 4.1.1 of the RIA BES.

Cooling systems

For cooling systems, such as air conditioning or large refrigeration, rules apply for maintenance and inspection. An explanation on cooling installations can be found on this page.

Checklist

Pay close attention to the following points of attention when starting and carrying out this activity:

  • Do you have air conditioning?
  • Are wastes, such as cardboard and glass, stored and collected separately?
  • Do you have waste disposed of regularly in order that your business is clean and tidy?

Share this