Tourism is big business in the Dominican Republic. But visitors leave a trail of trash in their wake. Can a new waste management initiative keep the Caribbean paradise clean?
So far this year, Dominican Republic has hosted 2.5 million tourists. But lots of tourists means lots of trash. An all-inclusive report with 1,000 beds gets through 1.2 million plastic bottles each year. And recycling facilities are virtually non-existent on the island.
There are more than 350 illegal dumps across the island, and ever more beaches are strewn with trash. This isn't just unsightly, it also releases CO2.
Worldwide, tourism is responsible for an estimated 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Which is why the UN Environment Programme's Transforming Tourism initiative is working to reduce the climate impact of tourism in ten countries.
In Dominican Republic, project manager Eddy Rosado works with the company Ecoservices to collect waste from hotel chains, recycle it, or export it to countries that can. And more and more hotels are getting involved.
Project goal: To help hotel chains and other operations in Dominican Republic's tourism sector save plastic and dispose of waste more effectively.
Project budget: The project covers a total of ten countries in Asia and Latin America and with a total budget of around 5 million euros.
Project partners: The project is an initiative of the United Nations Environment Programme, supported by the German Environment Ministry under the framework of the International Climate Initiative. It is implemented by organizations including the One Planet Network, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and the Dominican Republic's ministries of of Tourism and Natural Resources.
Project duration: Januar 2017 to September 2021Ein
Fim by Katja Döhne.