Haiti
3.7 Haiti Waste Management and Recycling Infrastructure Assessment
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Overview

There is a lack of data in general but for Port-au-Prince, 2,450 metric tons of municipal solid waste are generated per day - more than 900,000 tons per year, mainly organic waste though a growing percentage is plastic waste (data from 2015). Generally Haiti has a poor waste management infrastructure, leading to severe health and environmental issues, such as flooding, air pollution, respiratory ailments, diarrhoea, dengue fever, and cholera. The  average solid waste production rate in Haiti is 0.7 kg per day. There is also a lack of equipment, funding, and proper safety and environmental standards.

Service Métropolitain de Collecte des Résidus Solides (SMCRS) lacks financial resources and has problems in maintaining equipment, limiting the agency’s effectiveness. Haiti also has a very weak legislative framework. In 2017, a law was passed creating a National Solid Waste Management Service (SNGRS), although this was never enforced. In 2012 & 2013, two presidential orders were passed banning the importation of black polyethylene bags and expanded polystyrene (styrofoam) for single-use food packaging.

Waste Collection

Waste collection is approximately 12% nationwide, 37% for Port au Prince. The majority of the waste is left on the street or dumped in drainage canals, causing serious flooding after heavy rains. There is an active informal waste collection sector.

Waste Management Regulations

There is no national system for waste collection or management, leaving most municipalities without any formal structure.

Waste Management Service Providers

Municipalities and the Ministry of Public Works, Transport, and Communications (MTPTC) are responsible for solid waste management and are technically in charge of waste collection. The Metropolitan Solid Waste Collection Service (SMCRS) works in PaP - only municipality with a waste collection service. Private companies are also involved in waste collection for households who can afford it.

Landfill Status

Truittier is the only municipal landfill in the country. Waste is deposited without treatment less than 100 meters from the coast, with no protection against the flow of leachate into the soil. there is a significant contamination of soil and water, exacerbated by medical waste and hazardous substances which are also dumped at the location. Outside Truittier, most waste is disposed of in open dumpsites, accounting for 62% of waste disposal in Haiti.


Disclaimer: Inclusion of company information in the LCA does not imply any business relationship between the supplier and WFP / Logistics Cluster, and is used solely as a determinant of services, and capacities.

Please note: WFP / Logistics Cluster maintain complete impartiality and are not in a position to endorse, comment on any company's suitability as a reputable service provider.



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