Creating a sustainable waste management model in Samaná province, Dominican Republic

Abstract

In Samaná Province—a peninsula on the DR’s northeastern coast— USAID’s CCBO program is working to pilot solutions to stop the flow of plastic pollution into the region’s large, semi-enclosed Samaná Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. With the new SWM law in place, there is high political will to demonstrate progress on addressing the DR’s solid waste challenges. USAID is working closely with stakeholders in Samaná to test SWM approaches that show proof of concept and can be used across the rest of the country—a strategic approach that has received support from the country’s president and other key entities at the national level. CCBO’s role in transforming Samaná into a model province for SWM places USAID’s work at the center of a key moment in the DR’s fight against ocean plastic pollution.