No Recycling in Dominican Republic?
It wonders me how this well-developed clean island doesn't recycle, or does it?
I’m not an environmentalist or anything, but I do lean on the side of us taking the best care of the earth we live in. If I got to say one thing that Dominican Republic should implement, it has to be a recycling system. Being from North America, I’ve gotten used to recycling bottles, plastics, cans etc.…. So, it's been different to say the least of throwing these same items in the garbage here in the DR. I’m old enough to remember that back in North America we didn't always have a recycling system. I remember in grade school when the teacher put a blue bin in the front of the classroom and taught us students what goes in the blue bin and how recycling all works.
Here in Dominican Republic, it's quite opposite in terms of separating recyclables from garbage. Waste that would be recycled such as cardboard boxes, styrofoam, glass, plastic bottles, and also batteries go to the garbage. There is no waste management coming to collect these recyclables, only the garbage man. It’s odd after you've gotten used to putting out your recyclables separately, now it’s about putting it together with the garbage in one bag. At this point, I’m unaware of any recycling system, and I’m told by locals there isn't recycling, but then one day I notice something strange. I notice an elder lady picking up empty beer bottles. This could only mean one thing; I’ve been bamboozled and there is some sort of recycling in Dominican Republic.
It even startles me till today when throwing recyclable bottles in the garbage. I was at a colmado (Dominican corner store) this colmado serves drinks and plays music. It’s a good atmosphere, so I decided to buy the national beer “Presidente”. There’s seating inside and outside, while music is playing to set the vibe. Having a Presidente, while hanging out at a colmado is common and how to have the Dominican experience lol. I salute the other patrons as I walk over to a seat and begin my drink. By the way, it's in a sizeable bottle, lid removed, and replaced with a napkin neatly wrapped around the top. Refreshing beer on this hot day, I finish and now I’m in hopes that maybe this place saves bottles. I glance around but fail to see that blue bin lol. I don't even see a garbage as my next resort. I definitely don't want to leave the bottle laying on the ground. Remember this is not a bar and there are no servers, the cashier at the front counter is who opens your beer and does the cool napkin wrap on it, is operating a store with customers coming in and out. So, I walk up to the counter and hand the empty bottle to the cashier. The bottle stands on the counter as he doesn't reach for it. Now he looks at me with confusion as if the one beer I had was too strong or something lol. I then tell him this is garbage and then he realizes, laughs and takes it away and throws it in a garbage behind him.
Well, as for the day to day I’ve have yet to see any recycling, and other than that elderly lady walking around gathering empty beer bottles it would seem as if maybe there is somewhere that is taking recyclables. At this point good old Google dawns on me, and the question about recycling in DR becomes answered. There is recycling in Dominican Republic, well sort of. There are recycling centers, but not too many and with most being centered around the biggest cities in the country. So that explains why one might get two different answers when asking the question, if there is recycling in Dominican Republic? You would have to check your local area if there is a recycling center and make arrangements to transfer your recyclables. Some people have taken matters into their own hands and decided to organize a recycling program to help reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills. A group out of Punta Cana have done so, making great efforts to help make Punta Cana a nice place to live. Also, a gentleman by the name of Alfonso Frías who registered his recycling business, Reciclajes Bahía (Recycling Bay), and entered into an agreement with Cilpen Global, Dominican Republic’s first recycling facility, with USAID support. Through the government efforts are being made throughout the country with the initiative to improved urban waste management, raising public awareness, and promoting the circular economy. Perhaps one day sooner than expected with a recycling system, we will see many of those recycling blue bins spread all over Dominican Republic.
Here's what I know about recycling in the US: In some parts of the country "they" say we are doing our part to recycle and set out separate bins but I can assure you this is pure bullshit. I lived in a high-end apartment complex in Reno, Nevada who was charging a monthly $28 fee for recycling, saying it was being picked up and taken to a specific area for this purpose. It was not. My neighbor and I decided to follow the truck one day after they were late by a couple days, to see exactly where this plant was located. It was being taken to the same dump and after doing a bit of research we discovered our recycling was not being treated any differently than our Tuesday garbage pickup. We pursued it and we were refunded two years of payments, along with the rest of the complex. We were also evicted and our security deposits were not refunded. Since then I like to see what goes on in this matter and at the end of the day I've found the best way we can do our part is to not buy or use plastics and pay attention to current use moving forward.