Extended Abstract

 Ministry of Economy and Planning

The Sectoral Analysis of Solid Residues of Cuba was accomplished in the year 1996 and was published in1997, from the analysis of the first nine chapters, a total from 46 critical aspects were identified on those which has been worked being achieved to improve the outlined problems.

These critical aspects could be use in the evaluation of the Solid Waste Management situation in other SIDS countries.

There have been progress between 1997 and 2003 but not an integral solution of the situation had been obtained. Different aspect of Solid Waste Management, at country level, need a considerable quantity of funds usually this resources are not available; human resources are also an important component of the system.

The more important critical aspect that has bee identified in the Sectoral Solid Waste Study in Cuba were the followings: Institutional Level

Deficiencies of the National Information System on Solid Waste, from the municipality to national level, to know the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the solid residues, as basement for and economic and technical waste management system.

Problems in the generation of information (municipalities), since the economic information is systematized at the national level but it do not permit a direct and clear analysis of urban solid residues management.

Lack of a program of capacitating and training activities, at all levels, that assure the strengthening of the technical knowledge of the personal involved.

Absence of a curriculum on solid waste management in universities and technical schools that permit strengthening of the basic knowledge to the specialists working in this activity.

Insufficient research programs on solid waste management in the scientific centers of the country.

Legal level.

Lack of fulfillment of the existing regulation.

Lacking application of mechanisms of control and inspection.

Dispersion of the legal regulations linked with the solid waste sector.

A lack in national legislation in correspondence with the situation of solid wastes the country.

Technical level

Absence of an adequate planning for recollection, storage, transportation and final disposal of solid waste, determined by organizational limitations, as preparation of personal and economic issues.

Lack of national and territorial policies related to the minimization of solid waste and it reuse, with better allocation of final disposal of solid waste, linked with a poor technological knowledge an uses of best practices.

Lack of a basic information system for the economic control and of costs analysis.

Poor environmental conditions in final disposal of solid waste.

Informative insufficiencies on the volume and characteristic of hazardous industrial solid waste that, in occasions, are mixed with the domiciliary waste. A lack of sites for confined this type of solid waste.

Inadequate or nonexistence management and disposal of waste generated in hospitals.

Deficiency in waste recollection, mainly in the zones not attended with specialized service, what generated micro-disposal sites with poor environmental conditions..

Risky conditions in recollection of materials without the fulfillment of the established regulation.

Wrong storage conditions of solid waste.

Insufficiency in the availability of technical personal in all levels and in its preparation for a good performance of their functions. 

Financial and economic level

Absence of a classification of the expenses accounts grouped according to the specific characteristics of the sector.

Lack of technical resources, as computers and others electronic equipments, for develop an appropriate information system in benefits of a better solid waste management.

Excessive losses of workers in the sector.

Planning deficiencies by not consider the expenses and the possibilities of saving economic resources using better management practices.

Serious planning difficulties in relation with new inversions where inversions has the same treatment as current cost of operation.

Heavy and cumbersome procedure of the annual budget of the sector.

Annual budget procedure is more formal than effective due to the lack of management indicators.

Implementation of the budget based on the effective expense of the previous year.

High wages cost by number of workers, not agreed to the withdrawal service offered; for example, it is not accomplished follow-up of the productivity of the workers, being controlled basically for their assistance.

High expense in productive services as recollection not in accord with the work that has been done, not accomplished by control and systematical follow-up of these expenses.

Fuel use superior to the equipment park in operation and to the recollection services offered.

Lack of sectoral mechanisms of auto- financing. Funds are only obtained from the State from expenses budget and their adjustments

Lack of base-line studies to endorse service tariffs and evaluate their results. The outstanding legislation prevents to collect some services, and administrative hobbles are usually present.

Absence of an integral policy between communal services and the Enterprise of Waste Recovery. Outweigh to unite efforts and to achieve a genuine financing of the sector by this route. This, at the same time, it is motivating certain practical of matters recovery not agreed to the outstanding legislation, creating some hygienic-sanitation problems.

Lack in a reliable information system on the potential of the waste recovery from urban solid waste generation.

Environmental Level

Lack of Control related with management of solid waste and theirs environmental affectations, especially at local level.

Slow incorporation of environmental dimension in development plans related to this thematic.

Insufficiencies in environmental impact assessment studies.

Poor interaction between institutions with responsibilities in the sector of the management of solid waste.

Health level.

Absence of a mechanism which permit information on the health attention offered to the personal in the sector of the solid waste.

Deficiencies in the health aspect of the workers in the sector.

Insufficiency in the sanitary exigency to face the existing hygienic difficulties.

Socio-Cultural Level.

Insufficient Socio-cultural work in the sector that include the community.

Lack of the necessary material resources to support environmental education issues to activists and social workers, between them: books issue, posters, foldable and cartels, with an integral overview..

Poor systematic environmental education activities using the medias.

Incongruity between the behaviors of the population on storage and disposal of solid waste and at their level and of knowledge, especially in the relation of management of solid waste and health.

Nonexistence of a community educational strategy to impact positively in attitudes and behaviors in connection with the solid residues.

Eng. Jesús A. Delgado Reinoso

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