Ethnographic Research on Solid Waste Management in Samana Province, Dominican Republic

For this study, ethnographic interviewing followed by Trials of Improved Practices (TIPs)—a kind of behavioral trial—was carried out to gain a holistic and in-depth understanding of solid waste management with households, businesses, and with independent waste collectors in Samaná Province, Dominican Republic. This formative research aimed to understand how various ethnic and social classes in Samaná manage their solid waste and how different household members perceive and classify waste in public and in the home. Researchers set out to discover what people are doing now; why they are doing it and how this fits into the context of their lives, communities, and culture; what they can do; and what they will do in regard to reducing, reusing, and recycling (3Rs) and waste management.