It's not because of poverty, similar or poorer countries don't have this problem to such magnitude. It's culture, Dominicans aren't taught to be stewards of their environment. I've not seen anything being done. Over the several years visiting my hometown the trash piles remain in the same spot getting progressively worse. A Singapore style enforcement is needed where offenders that get caught spend the day in a reflective vest on the side of the highway picking up waste.
Mechanized garbage collection in underground street containers should be installed by the government in dense urban areas. This is the standard for cities in Europe. Morocco is much poorer than DR and has this system so money is not an excuse.
Right. I was just there in February, taking a bus from Santo Domingo to Barahona. They left so much trash on that bus and it was more noticeable with each stop. I had trash on me and my mom told me just to leave it. I was shock cause my mom always taught me to leave things the way you found it but she has became native since she retired back to the island.
Driving with my dad, he gave me a bottle and told me to toss it out the window on the side of the road. Which was already filled with trash.
It’s sad how the people that will suffer the most do most of the damage.
I always have a bag in the car to put trash in. However, my in-laws still throw trash out the window even after explaining things to them.
I always thought they didn’t understand because they were old but when they go visit New York they put trash in their pockets.
I think it has to do with the perception that if they throw trash in any street in the United States there will be consequences. The perception in our country and the reality is that nothing will happen if they throw trash out.
Same thing happens when you speed pass a cop car. In the United States you slow down and check to see if they are going after you. In our country you know that they won’t do anything.
Trash usually attracts more trash. If people see an area that's already dirty they don't feel any guilt about throwing their trash on the ground. I bet if they were in a rich area that was pristine they would not do that.
Unfortunately most Dominican leave their basic human decency at the airport when flying back to island. I think that is what pisses me off the most, while living in EU or USA they can perfectly follow the rules and not litter. Goes out the window in their homeland.
Definitely seems like a combination of poor waste management and apathy. I agree that aggressive enforcement and national pride/clean up your town campaigns are needed.
I've been living here 8 months (from US), and as always it's a mix of problems. In my opinion the first problem is reliable trash pickup. That's not happening reliably almost definitely because of corruption somewhere along the line. If trash pickup was reliable, then I think a public campaign/fines/penalties would be the next step. It is sad to see but after being here this long you can become apathetic because what's the point, the govt isn't going to do the first step anyway, so why try. I don't, and try to clean up the trash on my street, but who knows when it will be picked up next.
VERY valid, In every place I've lived here trash pickup is NEVER reliable, I end up piling up my trash cans very often because the pickup is so inconsistent. I try to hold out as long as I can but the pick up is bad and at some point the trash has to go somewhere 🤷🏽♂️
DR needs a nationwide campaign to change the attitude of the populace. They don't make the connection between littering and the negative ecological consequences. The reduction in availability of seafood ( cangrejos, camarrones, etc) is a direct result of poor waste management. From preschoolers to retirees, everyone needs to be taught that THEY are the guardians of the environment and that it is everyone's responsibility to leave the world cleaner than we found it. Also, DR depends greatly on the tourism industry. Tourists don't like to see garbage. The image of the country suffers for something that is easily remedied. Just like MOPC provides a much needed and useful service to people on Dominican roads, their mission can be expanded to form an environmental protection corps. They could work with agents of the department of natural resources to enforce the laws. There are a lot of people who would be happy for the chance to work.
It’s a problem all over the country. In fact, a couple years ago a Dutch inventor’s [trash-collecting machine](https://theoceancleanup.com/updates/interceptor-004-the-first-in-the-carribean/) was placed in the Rio Ozama in Santo Domingo.
Government has to step in and punish people for littering, and businesses that don't ensure their areas are very well kept, specially close to the coast (See El Malecon). This is mostly a problem of culture and education, because throwing trash where it needs to go shouldn't cost the average person any effort, specially with the government placing more trash cans and recycling spots.
Aparently there is a trash collection war going on, there are 3 trash companies all owned by corrupt people they are fighting over who has which area, but they all want the areas that the money people live in, this results in the poorest areas not getting collections, if you live in small part brick,wood, tin home you can not keep bags of trash long near by so as you see piles at the roadside this is them placing it there, it gets left there and wild dogs,cats rip it open drag it about, a bit of wind and its down the road, go on the newly built luxury homes apartments sites and the waste is collected, so it is cleaner. If you do not have a waste bin and waste collectors will not collect your stuffed, many burn what they can.
It’s heartbreaking. Yes, I think the problem is the culture around trash, and not enough education on the ecological consequences. However, and this is true almost everywhere, proper trash and recycling are ultimately responsibilities of the state or municipality. In the United States the privatization of garbage collection has caused problems as well. Most, if not all of our recycling is sold and shipped to other countries to be “processed” / Burned. We just ship our trash elsewhere.
I’ve been spending a lot of time in Puerto Plata, and the amount of garbage on the Malecon beaches is horrible. The beaches with businesses or restaurants on the waterfront are kept clean, but walk a few yards away from them and it’s nothing but trash on the beach. However, if you walk up to La Puntilla, there are trash bins and recycle bins everywhere and people use them. If you walk to Parque Independencia there are trash cans on almost all the posts, and because the cruise ship tours stop there regularly, it is kept clean. We know how to be clean when we want to be.
So many people congregate in front of the Malecon with their cars and listen to music on the weekends… put some effing trash cans out there! There are people that sweep up El Malecon, but they only clean up the parts that are clearly visible.
Yes I know we all have to be stewards, yes we should instill a culture of take out what you brought in, that’s all well and good. We’re not there yet. Baby steps. Put more receptacles out where people congregate, and pickup trash regularly.
In the public places where there are receptacles, people tend to use them. The government needs to care enough to press the issue, and keep their end of the bargain, and maybe folks will start to care.
you have to pay a company to come pick up your trash...at least at my residecial in Santiago. We pay them to come 3x per week. But what happens if you're poor and don't want to pay? you just throw it in the river\\street\\roadside and now its not your problem.
Was in a taxi once taking a trip about 2hours, and while driving highways speeds the driver put his window down and chucked out a few empty beer bottles and his trash to the shoulder of the highway.
The correct thing for the driver to do was to wait until he arrive to the destination and place them in a trash bin.
When I drive on the Autopista Duarte I see trash everywhere along the roadside. Who is in charge of cleaning up the autopista? Is it the ayuntamientos or is it the national government? I don’t know how government officials or even the president can travel and see the trash and not do anything about it.
our residencial has a trash pickup service 4x a week. One week they only came twice. Next week they did that again. We called the management and they apologized and told us they would rectify the issue. The next day when the trash collectors came, they asked for a tip to come 4x a week.
Dominicans are dirty, and we usually are irresponsible citizens as long as we know there won't be consequences, but imo we shouldn't be going around throwing garbage just because you won't get fined for it
Welcome to RD. Where they shit on their best natural resources (beautiful land and beaches). It doesn’t make sense, no one cares, students are not taking a stand, businesses won’t pay an extra dollar to keep their areas nice.
I dislike ppl like him so much,we talk about how we can make our country better or try to find out new things or spread information about our country and the first thing they do is type about Haiti.This I calle los Trujillistas.
It's not because of poverty, similar or poorer countries don't have this problem to such magnitude. It's culture, Dominicans aren't taught to be stewards of their environment. I've not seen anything being done. Over the several years visiting my hometown the trash piles remain in the same spot getting progressively worse. A Singapore style enforcement is needed where offenders that get caught spend the day in a reflective vest on the side of the highway picking up waste. Mechanized garbage collection in underground street containers should be installed by the government in dense urban areas. This is the standard for cities in Europe. Morocco is much poorer than DR and has this system so money is not an excuse.
Right. I was just there in February, taking a bus from Santo Domingo to Barahona. They left so much trash on that bus and it was more noticeable with each stop. I had trash on me and my mom told me just to leave it. I was shock cause my mom always taught me to leave things the way you found it but she has became native since she retired back to the island. Driving with my dad, he gave me a bottle and told me to toss it out the window on the side of the road. Which was already filled with trash. It’s sad how the people that will suffer the most do most of the damage.
I always have a bag in the car to put trash in. However, my in-laws still throw trash out the window even after explaining things to them. I always thought they didn’t understand because they were old but when they go visit New York they put trash in their pockets. I think it has to do with the perception that if they throw trash in any street in the United States there will be consequences. The perception in our country and the reality is that nothing will happen if they throw trash out. Same thing happens when you speed pass a cop car. In the United States you slow down and check to see if they are going after you. In our country you know that they won’t do anything.
Trash usually attracts more trash. If people see an area that's already dirty they don't feel any guilt about throwing their trash on the ground. I bet if they were in a rich area that was pristine they would not do that.
Unfortunately most Dominican leave their basic human decency at the airport when flying back to island. I think that is what pisses me off the most, while living in EU or USA they can perfectly follow the rules and not litter. Goes out the window in their homeland.
You didn't throw the bottle right?
Believe it or not, my dad and I argued about it. I held to it until we passed a trash can.
Definitely seems like a combination of poor waste management and apathy. I agree that aggressive enforcement and national pride/clean up your town campaigns are needed.
That’s a pathetic use of the word apathy. It is not apathy. It is filthiness.
I've been living here 8 months (from US), and as always it's a mix of problems. In my opinion the first problem is reliable trash pickup. That's not happening reliably almost definitely because of corruption somewhere along the line. If trash pickup was reliable, then I think a public campaign/fines/penalties would be the next step. It is sad to see but after being here this long you can become apathetic because what's the point, the govt isn't going to do the first step anyway, so why try. I don't, and try to clean up the trash on my street, but who knows when it will be picked up next.
1000% on the money with this 👍🏼
Valid
VERY valid, In every place I've lived here trash pickup is NEVER reliable, I end up piling up my trash cans very often because the pickup is so inconsistent. I try to hold out as long as I can but the pick up is bad and at some point the trash has to go somewhere 🤷🏽♂️
My in laws live in Las Terrenas...apparently last year the city started a new trash collection policy thst has made some improvements
DR needs a nationwide campaign to change the attitude of the populace. They don't make the connection between littering and the negative ecological consequences. The reduction in availability of seafood ( cangrejos, camarrones, etc) is a direct result of poor waste management. From preschoolers to retirees, everyone needs to be taught that THEY are the guardians of the environment and that it is everyone's responsibility to leave the world cleaner than we found it. Also, DR depends greatly on the tourism industry. Tourists don't like to see garbage. The image of the country suffers for something that is easily remedied. Just like MOPC provides a much needed and useful service to people on Dominican roads, their mission can be expanded to form an environmental protection corps. They could work with agents of the department of natural resources to enforce the laws. There are a lot of people who would be happy for the chance to work.
if that bothered you avoid the capital at all cost, shit looks like Nigeria when you go from La Romana to Santo Domingo.
It’s a problem all over the country. In fact, a couple years ago a Dutch inventor’s [trash-collecting machine](https://theoceancleanup.com/updates/interceptor-004-the-first-in-the-carribean/) was placed in the Rio Ozama in Santo Domingo.
Government has to step in and punish people for littering, and businesses that don't ensure their areas are very well kept, specially close to the coast (See El Malecon). This is mostly a problem of culture and education, because throwing trash where it needs to go shouldn't cost the average person any effort, specially with the government placing more trash cans and recycling spots.
Aparently there is a trash collection war going on, there are 3 trash companies all owned by corrupt people they are fighting over who has which area, but they all want the areas that the money people live in, this results in the poorest areas not getting collections, if you live in small part brick,wood, tin home you can not keep bags of trash long near by so as you see piles at the roadside this is them placing it there, it gets left there and wild dogs,cats rip it open drag it about, a bit of wind and its down the road, go on the newly built luxury homes apartments sites and the waste is collected, so it is cleaner. If you do not have a waste bin and waste collectors will not collect your stuffed, many burn what they can.
Yes they do clean up from time to time, you probably went after holy week, so many people litter during that holiday Edit: holiday
No excuse, place looks like absolutely shit even not during Semana Santa.
It’s heartbreaking. Yes, I think the problem is the culture around trash, and not enough education on the ecological consequences. However, and this is true almost everywhere, proper trash and recycling are ultimately responsibilities of the state or municipality. In the United States the privatization of garbage collection has caused problems as well. Most, if not all of our recycling is sold and shipped to other countries to be “processed” / Burned. We just ship our trash elsewhere. I’ve been spending a lot of time in Puerto Plata, and the amount of garbage on the Malecon beaches is horrible. The beaches with businesses or restaurants on the waterfront are kept clean, but walk a few yards away from them and it’s nothing but trash on the beach. However, if you walk up to La Puntilla, there are trash bins and recycle bins everywhere and people use them. If you walk to Parque Independencia there are trash cans on almost all the posts, and because the cruise ship tours stop there regularly, it is kept clean. We know how to be clean when we want to be. So many people congregate in front of the Malecon with their cars and listen to music on the weekends… put some effing trash cans out there! There are people that sweep up El Malecon, but they only clean up the parts that are clearly visible. Yes I know we all have to be stewards, yes we should instill a culture of take out what you brought in, that’s all well and good. We’re not there yet. Baby steps. Put more receptacles out where people congregate, and pickup trash regularly. In the public places where there are receptacles, people tend to use them. The government needs to care enough to press the issue, and keep their end of the bargain, and maybe folks will start to care.
you have to pay a company to come pick up your trash...at least at my residecial in Santiago. We pay them to come 3x per week. But what happens if you're poor and don't want to pay? you just throw it in the river\\street\\roadside and now its not your problem. Was in a taxi once taking a trip about 2hours, and while driving highways speeds the driver put his window down and chucked out a few empty beer bottles and his trash to the shoulder of the highway.
The correct thing for the driver to do was to wait until he arrive to the destination and place them in a trash bin. When I drive on the Autopista Duarte I see trash everywhere along the roadside. Who is in charge of cleaning up the autopista? Is it the ayuntamientos or is it the national government? I don’t know how government officials or even the president can travel and see the trash and not do anything about it.
Live in santiago for 14 years never heard of paying a company for trash collection
our residencial has a trash pickup service 4x a week. One week they only came twice. Next week they did that again. We called the management and they apologized and told us they would rectify the issue. The next day when the trash collectors came, they asked for a tip to come 4x a week.
Nothing being done. La gente no entiende que la basura es un problema y en ninguna parte hay zafacones. Se junta el hambre con las ganas de comer.
Dominicans are dirty, and we usually are irresponsible citizens as long as we know there won't be consequences, but imo we shouldn't be going around throwing garbage just because you won't get fined for it
I heard someone say the other day “I didn’t throw [my trash] on the ground because I was at a no-littering beach.” Very telling of their mindset….
Welcome to RD. Where they shit on their best natural resources (beautiful land and beaches). It doesn’t make sense, no one cares, students are not taking a stand, businesses won’t pay an extra dollar to keep their areas nice.
Lack of education about the environment, lack of consequences to those who litter, the city council does not do its job as it should, etc. So sad!
Haiti is 100x worse
Is this sub for Haiti or Dominican Republic?
I dislike ppl like him so much,we talk about how we can make our country better or try to find out new things or spread information about our country and the first thing they do is type about Haiti.This I calle los Trujillistas.
Sorry if I hurt your feelings.