A Model for Waste Site Remediation in the Dominican Republic

Drone shot of a recycling plant under construction.
Improvements in the Dominican Republic's Samaná Province have prevented more than 435,000 metric tons of waste from leaking into the environment― as well as reduced greenhouse gas emissions, positively impacted community health, and enhanced conditions for the workers who sort and manage waste on site.

Take an interactive look at Clean Cities, Blue Ocean’s work in the Dominican Republic through the ArcGIS Story Map: A Model for Waste Site Remediation in the Dominican Republic. 

The Dominican Republic discards an estimated 11,000 metric tons of daily waste in informal and open dumpsites, resulting in waterway contamination from unlined disposal areas, air pollution from gases emanating from the waste, and spontaneous combustion fires from the buildup of methane. Since 2021, Clean Cities, Blue Ocean has provided technical guidance to the national government to remediate and close two open dumpsites in Samaná Province and to design and develop new sanitary landfills and related infrastructure that securely and sustainably manages the country’s waste. These efforts have resulted in the safe management of more than 357,000 metric tons of waste—including over 47,000 metric tons of plastic, the equivalent of 188 million plastic bottles. The improvements have reduced plastics leakage and greenhouse gas emissions, positively impacted community health, and enhanced conditions for the workers who sort and manage waste on site.