Clean Cities, Blue Ocean : Initial Solid Waste Management Assessment (ISWMA) Dominican Republic

Abstract

From January 13-17, 2020, a Tetra Tech team composed of a marine biologist, four solid waste experts, and the CCBO Program Manager conducted an Initial Waste Management Assessment (IWMA) in the Province of Samaná, Dominican Republic (DR). The IWMA was conducted through meetings with multiple public and private sector stakeholders, site visits to four existing open-air dumps, and to two potential sanitary landfill locations. Consultative meetings included discussions with the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Samaná Province Mayors, Federación Dominicana de Municipios (Dominican Federation of Municipalities, FEDOMU), Dominicana Limpia, the Tourism Cluster, potential private sector investors, and USAID/Dominican Republic Mission staff. The team also observed curbside waste collection methods, waste transportation, roadside litter, and the degradation of streams/creeks and estuaries/deltas. The assessment’s main objectives were to assess existing SWM programs in the Province of Samaná, with the goal of identifying processes, or the lack of, that are the cause of marine plastic pollution— which will ultimately inform the program’s Year One Work Plan. The IWMA provides an overview of Samaná’s current SWM system capabilities and the clear need for a sustainable integrated waste management system that will help restore the province’s natural environment and improve public health.