The DR still has a very long way to go as far as dealing with garbage disposal but I will say that in the 20 years I have lived here, I have seen some change. However, the government have not made this a priority and no matter where you go, you will always see garbage strewed around. The amount of times I see someone open their car door and dump a bag of garbage on the side of the road, a moto concho rider toss their Styrofoam cups, or someone walking down the street tossing garbage is still so shocking. Lack of education at schools and on TV regarding preservation of the environment plays a big part in ignorance but common sense, or lack of it, is the main culprit.
In many countries they have gone from one extreme to the other and people get fined for not separating their garbage before putting it out to be collected, could you imagine that happening here? But in those countries, the environment is so much healthier due to strict regulations.
When you have a country like here that has zero regulations as opposed to zero tolerance, then the problem will persists from generation to generation.
Banning single use plastics is a no brainer in a country that has a habit of tossing garbage on the ground instead of the garbage cans. But even still, the garbage that goes into the cans ends up in the land fills and then buried and at times burned, which does not help either. Very little gets recycled here although you are starting to see more and more recycle deposits. More and more people are starting to toss garbage in the correct manner but there is so much more that needs to be done.
The DR is one of the most beautiful places in the world. I have been to 92 countries and still find the DR one of the most beautiful and for me it is my home. I hope that one day in the future the population will realize how special their country is and respect it more than they are now. Please note that I am not just referring to Dominicans regarding tossing garbage, I have seen gringos and Haitians do exactly the same......
