RESUMO
The disposal of municipal waste in the Caribbean has always been a significant problem for governments in the region. Increases in both population and tourism activity, together with a decrease in the amount of available land suitable for landfilling of waste, have aggravated the situation. Governments are now faced with the fact that solid waste disposal, long taken for granted, now represents a set of problems that are not easy to resolve. This article has looked at some of the main problems and practices in solid waste management in the Caribbean. The main conclusions from this study is that solid waste disposal in the Caribbean will, in all probability, continue to be accomplished by sanitary landfilling for the foreseeable future. Few Caribbean countries are economically or technically capable of installing and operating optional processes, such as incineration. Recycling, and to a lesser extent, composting will continue to play a role in waste quantity reduction; however, neither of there methods is likely to offer a complete solution to the problem. Economic considerations will continue to dominate solid waste disposal decisions, with environmental considerations only viable in cases where the local economy is relatively strong. Long-term change in public attitude be will only achieved through an educational strategy aimed at the general public and, on particular, school pupils (AU)
