gee, why all this negativity?
JD is correct, recycling happens in DR on daily basis and massive operations are involved. machines used in recycling process can be very costly too yet companies invest in them. if you have ever seen a rubbish truck you will know what i mean: there are huge bags of goodies like plastic, metal and glass piled on the top and to the side.
the problem is, indeed, that there is no recycling on a personal level. this is why this action of notebooks for rubbish is so important. dominicans need to know there is money to be made of that stuff, that it's worth something. it would be great to see recycling points in every city where one could drop plastic or cardboard/paper at a small fee. even it it would be 1 peso per pound. the quantity of trash is so huge people could make a living out of that. granted, it would be very little money but at least it would be honest money. with the current level of unemployment it would still help...
my dad, back home, is a pensioner. he's one of those old dudes who cannot sit still. so to fill his day he does dumpster diving. every morning he leaves home with his bicycle and checks several rubbish bins, collecting cans and other metals he can find. once every week he takes it to the metalera and sells it. he gets little money but it's enough to buy some beer and plants for my parent's garden. now, if dominicans could be the same way...