Santa Clara, June 5 (RHC)-- The forest index growth reached by Villa Clara province in 2018, and the contributions of its institution on environmental protection made it the hostess of the national celebration in Cuba of World Environment Day, this June 5th.

The province has also made progress in the processing of residuals, both in state and private entities, which are required to evacuate through the established procedures.

The celebration was preceded on Tuesday by a workshop attended by experts from all over the island who delved into some of the problems that affect the environment in Cuba, like the lack of enforcement of existing regulations of waste management.

The director general of National Office on Environmental Regulations and Safety, Jorge Alvarez, said that the management of chemical and hazardous waste is still far from what is needed.

“Of some 235 000 tons of such waste generated in 2017, only 33% was treated, and less than 11% was used. The lack of regulation of tires and plastics is noticeable, while in the chemical branch storage conditions are not satisfactory not enough resources are allocated for this,” he stressed.

Another issue that came up during the workshop was the encouragement for the reduction of single use plastic in the country.

World Environment Day is a UN-promoted celebration, organized around a theme that focuses attention on a particularly pressing environmental concern.

The theme for 2019, “Beat Air Pollution,” is a call to action call to combat this global crisis.