Trash solution for Cabarete and Sosua

jackieboo · #1 12-04-2006, 03:34 PM

As many have noticed there is an issue with trash on the beaches and roadsides. We’ve all seen cars and trucks on the road throwing their garbage out the window as if it were a magical garbage disposal. More like a ‘let them eat cake’ attitude.

So, we all know that the government is not going to take care of the problem and we sure know that the Dominican people aren’t going to change their trash disposal ways, so what do we do? There are two options; one we do nothing continue to admire the piles of trash
-or- two; we band together and clean it up. Option two almost makes me laugh out loud after reading posts on this site for the past 8 months.

Anyway here’s my proposal.

1. Have you ever noticed that nothing of ANY value is ever discarded? You don’t see bottles or tires (that is tires that aren’t shredded) littering the countryside.

2. How do you make it lucrative to collect the ‘trash’ on the beaches and on the side of the road?

3. The answer is to develop a coop of at least 100 people on the North Coast that are willing to pay $500.00RD a month for a 6 month trial.

With that $50,000RD monthly investment we could ‘pay’ for trash to be collected. I use the word ‘pay’ because we don’t want to get in a situation where we employee people.

We hire the truck and pay people X amount for plastic and Styrofoam.

Say $10.00RD for 20 Styrofoam containers or $5.00RD for 20 plastic water bottles.

Keep in mind that what is collected comes from the area we are focusing on that day. In other words we’re not going to pay people to bring their garbage from their homes.

So, having said all of that, let the negative comments begin.

If fact let me help you with a few anticipated replies:

a. Who has $500.00RD a month to waste? If you don’t have $500.00RD then how about earning some money by collecting trash?
b. I don’t live on the beach, why should I contribute. Fine, no problem, we’re going to clean the roadside as well.
c. If the business’ that line the beaches don’t pay then why should I? We’ll first concentrate on areas that have the most trash. If the business or development benefits from the cleaning then we’ll send them a bill. Yes, I know they don’t have to pay it, but it’s a symbolic thing.
d. Who’s going to be in charge of the money? Hopefully a lawyer in the area will donate their services.

The thing is that if people start to see the benefits of the coop then they’ll want to be part of it. Imagine what it’d be like to read comments from visitors on how amazingly clean Sosua and Cabarete were compared to other areas of the country.

Higher property values anyone?

PM me if you’re interested and IF we have enough people we’ll organize a meeing.

If not, this plastic water bottle is for you......

Jack

Snuffy · #2 12-04-2006, 06:28 PM

Option 1 will probably prevail. But if you could do something then I would keep it as simple as possible. Also, if the locals see you are picking up the trash they might haul their trash out to a location where you pick up...so you might make the problem even worse. You could try to organize a once a week community clean up. Have a BBQ after the clean up. Keep it simple.

Rocky · #3 12-04-2006, 06:36 PM

They need only follow the system that was used in the 50's & 60's in America, with add campaigns (Don't be a litter bug), followed by posted fines for littering.
It will take at least 10 years, as it did there.

gary short · #4 12-04-2006, 07:58 PM

People changed there attitudes almost overnight in Belize after an anti littering blitz....maybe that's all it would take.

cobraboy · #5 12-04-2006, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rocky

They need only follow the system that was used in the 50's & 60's in America, with add campaigns (Don't be a litter bug), followed by posted fines for littering.
It will take at least 10 years, as it did there.

True. It's a cultural shift.

I suggest hiring Dominican Trash Police, and put them on commission. They get RD$200 for every litterer they bust, fines paid by the litterer in Trash Court. That stops littering. You'd have folks camping out to wait to fill out Trash Police applications. Multiple offenders will lose their right to cervesa or ron.

Then give folks RD$100 for turning in a litterer. Heck, it worked in the Soviet Union by paying kids to turn in ntheir subversive parents into the po-lice. You'll have every barrio cleaned up by noon tomorrow.

Those busted will have to serve 2 days "community service" picking up stuff off the side of the road and curbs. They can earn RD$100 pesos a day if they pick up their assigned quota amount. That cleans the streets.

Then pitch kids a "Peso a Pound" program for litter they bring to the dump.

The DR will look cleaner than St. Peters Square by Easter...