USAID’s Work on Ocean Plastics in Dominican Republic

Solid waste management challenges in the Dominican Republic are complex and multidimensional. One in four households do not have access to waste collection services. There is a lack of coordinated resources for community engagement and behavior change, and an absence of a national legal framework to establish action plans or enforceable policies. Open dump sites also present a range of serious environmental and human health concerns, including environmental degradation, water contamination, and air pollution.

USAID’s Clean Cities, Blue Ocean (CCBO) program seeks to develop, test, and implement new models that promote the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) and enhance solid waste management (SWM) through four guiding objectives:  strengthen local and regional markets for recycled plastics; build social and behavior change; increase capacity and effective SWM governance; facilitate public-private partnerships.