Waste Management
and Recycling in Haiti -
Additional Information

The Haitian Community Development Project (HCDP) is seeking donations for an Incinerator System to combat the growing solid waste problem in the country of Haiti. The HCDP is a newly formed not for profit, tax-exempt organization based in Upstate, New York. It has received small grants in the past for projects related to the Arts, Cultural Awareness, Literacy and Social Needs of the multicultural residents in the county.

Community development, In HCDP's view, involves many aspects which include, but are not limited to Education, Social Awareness, Human Rights, Health, Safety and the Environment.

© Rémi Kaupp, CC-BY-SA, Wikimedia Commons

The environmental issue in Haiti is the core of most of Haiti's problems:

* Land erosion
* Tree cutting without replacement
* Street flooding due to trash blocking the waste pipes causing open sewage all over the city
* Garbage being airborne from the disposal landfill to other areas of the city
* Foot traffic transporting garbage to the neighborhoods

As a result, childrens health is at risk due to over exposure to garbage, open sewage and disease infected water. Even agriculture is affected due to the fact that the water used for irrigration in not safe to grow food for consumption. Read more about this problem.

The Unicef has reported that 110 children in 1000 died by the age of five of preventable childhood diseases.

Recently Ing. Wolfgang Neumann, Founder of the Energy Globe Award stated that “climate change caused by our excess and waste in handling our resources is today’s top buzzword, for indeed it is a mater of existence for us all.” Indeed the situation affects us all regardless of our geographic location. The environmental issue in Haiti is the core of most of that country’s health problems: Land erosion, street flooding due to trash blocking the waste pipes causing open sewage all over the city, garbage being airborne from the disposal landfill to other areas of the city, foot traffic transporting garbage to the neighborhoods, tree cutting without replacement. As a result, children’s health is at risk due to over exposure to garbage, open sewage and disease infected water. The UNICEF has reported that 110 children in 1000 died by the age of five of preventable diseases. Even agriculture is affected due to the fact that the water used for irrigation is not safe to grow food for consumption. To address this waste issue and its impacts on public health HCDP has proposed the installation of a neighborhood-scale incinerator for domestic wastes. To monitor and evaluate one in Haiti as part of a community waste reduction, reuse, repair and recycling program.

An independent study, peer-reviewed by the Royal Society in 2004, had found that although “incineration has been criticized for presenting health risks, however health risks from waste incineration are ‘small’ in relation to other known risks.” And “recovering energy from waste is much better than land filling it, which results in higher greenhouse gas emissions (primarily methane).Also....energy recovered from biodegradable waste offsets fossil fuel use in conventional power generation. It is safe to say modern technology has made it possible for all incinerators now to meet strict Waste Incineration Directive standards for pollution control."

'HCDP is aware that the regulations for incineration systems vary from country to counrty. Therefore it is important, as the configuration of the system would depend on this. See INCINER8 International website for more information about the incinerator system.

Haiti remains one of the least-developed countries in the Western Hemisphere (along with Bolivia). Comparative social and economic indicators show Haiti falling behind other low-income developing countries (particularly in the hemisphere) since the 1980s. Haiti now ranks 154th of 177 countries in the UN’s Human Development Index (2006). According to the CIA World Factbook, about 80% of the population lives in poverty. Haiti is the only country on both American continents, which is on the WHO list of Least Developed Countries.

© Rémi Kaupp, CC-BY-SA, Wikimedia Commons

As you will see in one of the pictures, burning the trash in the street is an attempt to incinerate the trash the only way the people know how. To use an incinerator to properly burn the trash rather than in the street will be more sanitary, safer and better for the environment and the people who have to breathe the fume of burnt waste in the open air.

To summarize, HCDP needs support to conduct:

* Study of local regulations and requirements for waste disposal
* Land requirement
* Plant/facility design
* Manpower
* Training
* Quantity of trash to be processes a day
* Generators to address the problem of electricity

For more information, contact:
Carline Seide-Murphy
PO Box 35
Niverville, NY 12130
Phone: (518)784-4395
Cell: (518)366-2551

Donations may be sent to:
Haitian Community Development Project, Inc. Waste Incineration Project
Acct.# 790 009 3019, ABA # 222 370 44-0
C/O First Niagara Bank, Valatie Branch
2938 Rt.9, P.O.
Box 744, Valatie, NY 12184
Phone: (518)758-6911

More Information

• Introduction to Project
• Additional Background
• Recyling Program
• Update after Earthquake
• Brita Program
• Letters Between students in US and Haiti
• Article by Kevin Sites
• En Francais/In French
• HCDP Wins 2008 Energy Globe Award
• Summer 2008 Trip to Haiti
• HCDP Wins 2007 Energy Globe Award