Wasted! Resource Recovery and Waste Management in Cuba

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.13169/intejcubastud.11.2.0147
• Pages: 147-173
• Published date: 01 December 2019
• Date: 01 December 2019
• Author: Michael Ahlheim,Maike Becker,Heike Trastl,Yeniley Allegue Losada
• Subject Matter: waste management,recycling,incentives,contingent valuation,Cuba

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ACADEMIC ARTICLE

WASTED! RESOURCE RECOVERY AND

WASTE MANAGEMENT IN CUBA

Michael Ahlheim1

University of Hohenheim, Germany

Maike Becker2

University of Hohenheim, Germany

Heike Trastl3

University of Hohenheim, Germany

Yeniley Allegue Losada4

University of Havana, Cuba

1 Professor of Economics, esp. Environmental Economics, at the University of

Hohenheim in Stuttgart, Germany, since 2001. From 1994 to 2001 Professor of

Economics, esp. Environmental Economics, at the Technical University of Cottbus in

Cottbus, Germany. Study of Economics (Diplom-Volkswirt), PhD and Habilitation at

the University of Heidelberg, Germany. Research interest: The economic valuation of

environmental changes.

2 Former Research Associate (from 2017 to 2019) at the Chair of Environmental

Economics, Regulatory and Consumer Policy at the University of Hohenheim.

Master degree in Environmental and Resource Economics at the University of Kiel

and Bachelor degree in International Economics and Development at the University of

Bayreuth. Research interests: Environmental Valuation.

3 Master student in International Business and Economics at the University of

Hohenheim. Graduated as Bachelor of Science in International Economics at University

of Tübingen with focus on Latin American Studies.

4 Professor of Economics at the University of Havana, Cuba, since 2016. Bachelor

degree, Master degree and PhD at the University of Havana. Studies of "Environmental

and Resource Economics", "Allocations and Prices Theory" and other subjects at the

Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany, in 2008 and 2009. Research interest: eco-

nomic assessment of the impacts of climate change, modelling in energy and climate

economics.

148 ACADEMIC ARTICLE – MICHAEL AHLHEIM ET AL.

InternatIonal Journal of Cuban StudIeS 11.2 WInter 2019

Abstract

The collection of solid waste and the recovery of recyclable material from waste are

major challenges Cuba has been facing for many years. In this paper, we briefly sketch

the actual waste situation and analyse the causes of the obvious deficiencies of the

waste sector. We conducted a small survey in Havana city to assess people’s awareness

of the garbage problem, their appraisal of the actual situation and their willingness

to contribute personally to an improvement of the waste situation. Based on the

insights gained from this survey and from our theoretical analysis of the Cuban waste

management we develop suggestions for an improvement of the waste situation

in Cuba. These suggestions take into account that the financial means available to

reform the waste management system in Cuba are severely restricted. Therefore, our

suggestions are more focused on organisational and motivational changes than on the

introduction of high technology.

Keywords: waste management, recycling, incentives, contingent valuation, Cuba

Introduction: Waste in Havana – First Impressions

Visitors to Havana are surprised to find huge heaps of garbage at many street

corners not only in the residential areas outside the city but also in its Historical

Centre. While for them the obvious deficiencies in garbage collection constitute

only a minor aesthetical impairment of an otherwise beautiful city, things are

much more serious for the permanent residents of Havana. Waste is accumulat-

ing in most streets over two weeks and more before it is collected by the

Municipal Communal Services Administration, the so-called ‘communales’. This

leads to major sanitary problems since various kinds of animals like rats or mos-

quitos settle down in the waste. In the rainy season, contaminated water is leak-

ing from the waste heaps. As a result, the health of the population is impaired by

contagious diseases caused by the deficient waste management (Louro 2013).

According to the administration responsible for garbage collection, they are

required to collect garbage in residential areas at least every 72 hours. In reality,

this often happens only every fortnight or even more rarely. The reasons for that

are manifold. There are technical reasons like broken waste trucks, which are

not repaired in time, and destroyed garbage containers, which cannot be moved

or lifted off the ground in order to be emptied into the garbage trucks (Alberty

2014). However, there are also social and psychological reasons, which are sus-

pected to be due to the mentality of the residents on the one hand and of the

public servants of the communales on the other. Additionally, the current situa-

tion is influenced by elements of corruption, demoralisation and lack of control