SANTO DOMINGO. – Las Terrenas can finally breathe a sigh of relief and say goodbye to decades of smoke and open-air garbage, after more than 15 years in the spotlight of complaints from environmentalists and residents, with the inauguration of a modern transfer and weighing station, which implies a paradigm shift in waste management in the Dominican Republic.
The project, with an investment of RD$78 million, is the result of joint work between the central government, the General Directorate of Strategic and Special Projects of the Presidency (Propeep), the company ECO5RD and the Municipality of Las Terrenas.
For years the Las Terrenas landfill was an uncomfortable reminder of the contradiction: an international tourist paradise with an exposed environmental wound, amid toxic fumes and leachate contaminating soils and waters, and neighborhood protests that were repeated like a ritual.
The promise to close the landfill, a key campaign promise, seemed as distant as recycling in many municipalities across the country, and this August of 2025, that page is finally beginning to turn in Las Terrenas.
The facility, operated by ECO5RD in conjunction with the municipality, will serve more than 40,000 people and will allow for the efficient management of the more than 100 tons of waste generated daily in the municipality. It will be complemented by the paving of the access road, undertaken by the Ministry of Public Works, which will significantly improve the logistical and operational infrastructure. This means zero accumulated garbage and no more open fires.
This milestone is the culmination of fifteen years of sustained social pressure, beginning at least in 2010, when the first complaints reached national media and international organizations under the DR-CAFTA agreement. Protests, demands from NGOs, legislative resolutions, and a 2021 presidential decree set the pieces in motion, but it is the construction of this station that completes the process. At least for Las Terrenas.
Beyond infrastructure, the challenge will be to maintain the commitment: that the landfill does not "come back to life" due to negligence, that recycling becomes the norm, and that investment in waste management is as high a priority as tourism promotion.
Because in Las Terrenas, natural beauty is the brand, and waste management can be its Achilles' heel or its best calling card.
Of national interest
Due to its tourism vocation and public health concerns, the Dominican Republic has faced the challenge of eliminating open-air dumps for more than a decade, a practice that also affects biodiversity and, above all, the country's international image.
According to data from the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, until 2020 there were more than 100 open-air dumps distributed throughout the national territory, many of them in municipalities with high tourist activity or population density.
A considerable health risk according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which estimates that more than 30% of diseases in areas near landfills are related to environmental pollution and inadequate waste management.
This measure is part of a comprehensive strategy to implement the international "Zero Waste" model and promote the recovery of recyclable materials.
Decree 62-21 declared the intervention and closure of eight emblematic landfills, including those in Las Terrenas, Punta Cana, Haina and Samaná, to be of national interest, defining stages of mitigation, construction of weighing and transfer stations, and finally the transfer of the waste.
Senator Pedro Catrain's 2021 resolution also called for immediate action to close and relocate the landfill, in accordance with the Environment Law 64-00 and the Public Health Law 42-01.
According to reports from the Ministries of Public Works and Environment, in 2024 the technical closure of open-air landfills reached more than 50% of the identified sites and they put the national average of recovery of recyclable materials at 13%, with pilot projects in Samaná, Punta Cana and Haina, which exceeds 20% in certain categories.
In Las Terrenas, the daily generation of waste exceeds 100 tons and it is estimated that before the closure, more than 80% ended up accumulated in the landfill without any treatment.
This national context highlights the importance of the new transfer and weighing station inaugurated in Las Terrenas: it is not just a local project, but part of a national public policy to transform waste management and protect tourist destinations vital to the Dominican economy, whose success will depend on maintaining strict controls, investing in environmental education and expanding the infrastructure for treatment and recycling, so that garbage is not simply moved, but minimized and utilized.
While Las Terrenas celebrates the end of a contentious environmental chapter, the entire country is watching to see how this experience can be replicated and consolidated as a model for sustainable solid waste management. The inauguration of this transfer and weigh station represents a historic step in the fight against environmental pollution in this tourist destination.
After more than 15 years of citizen complaints, political promises and phased actions, a sustainable waste management model is now consolidated, improving the quality of life of residents, strengthening the image of the destination and setting a precedent for other municipalities in the country.
