In general, the management of solid waste has not achieved a satisfactory standard within the Wider Caribbean region. This is due to the inadequate collection of data on solid waste issues and public health concerns. Cities and populations have been growing, solid waste management, however, has not kept pace with this growth, resulting in decreased efficiency of public services.
In an attempt to accelerate the pace of its industrial development, an economically developing nation may fail to pay adequate attention to solid waste management. Such a failure incurs a severe penalty at a later time in the form of resources needlessly lost and a staggering adverse impact on the environment and on public health and safety