Burning Smell at Night in Las Terrenas

[curious29]

so you sure that you don't want those 3 plastic bags , that you get while buying each new product in each colmado/ mercado ?

and later people wonder how on Earth there is so much garbage ..... ;-)

 

[pollogringo]

so you sure that you don't want those 3 plastic bags , that you get while buying each new product in each colmado/ mercado ?

and later people wonder how on Earth there is so much garbage ..... ;-)

Those little things are the most toxic. Carcinogens galore.

 

[pollogringo]

Hold on a minute.
You are mixing two very different issues.
Littering and wholesale disposal of trash are not the same.
One is the little guy too ignorant to know the difference and the other is Mr. Big who solves his problem with zero regard for the problem he creates for others by his actions.
We have the right to expect more from Mr. Big, don't we?

It's all connected in a vicious cycle. Joe Citizen uses Mr. Big's irresponsibility as an excuse for his own. Mr. Big figures Joe Citizen doesn't care because he litters too.

 

[cobraboy]

so you sure that you don't want those 3 plastic bags , that you get while buying each new product in each colmado/ mercado ?

and later people wonder how on Earth there is so much garbage ..... ;-)

We use those big blue bags from Pricemart...when we remember to bring them.

I am constantly re-arranging those plastic bags at the super mercado filling each much more. The Bag Boys look at me like I'm crazy.

 

[pollogringo]

We use those big blue bags from Pricemart...when we remember to bring them.

I am constantly re-arranging those plastic bags at the super mercado filling each much more. The Bag Boys look at me like I'm crazy.

I knew you were a "greenie" at heart.

 

[Will_Green]

This is the most telling sentence in this thread. Most people aren't "environmentalist types" so long as it is someone else's problem, some other countries' problem, some later generation's problem. But when the problem starts affecting their own comfort, their own health, and their own property values the "scope of the problem" magically begins "to be apparent". Unfortunately most such problems cannot be tackled economically, and many cannot be tackled at all, on a piecemeal local and reactive basis. They need national and often international education, legislation and enforcement. They will only be effectively solved when we are all "environmentalist types".

The underlying problem here is lack of education. Nothing else can be put right in this country until Dominicans generally receive adequate education and the brightest receive decent higher education. And that is two generations away.

As you can see, I became aware of the problem when it caused me personal discomfort, and have developed an interest in doing something about it - while I'm sure everyone here shares my concerns, some have tried to discourage me, essentially saying that I'm a gringo who doesn't understand the level of local apathy and antipathy to any efforts to address the issue. You're right that institutional action would probably be the most helpful, but don't neglect the potential impact of individual action; consider that you can influence two people, they each influence two people, etc., and thus, your actions are compounded exponentially.

I agree with you that education is the first step. Education about environmental waste is much easier to achieve than general education, and I'm not sure why it would take anywhere as long as two generations. Even a single concerted effort could make a big difference. As pointed out above, there also appears to be a lack of adequate resources for garbage disposal. Again, education can help with this issue, because it can create popular demand for such resources.

Incidentally, for whatever reason, I did not smell that burning smell again last night.

 

[flyinroom]

The bags at our grocery stores are now being manufactured to bio-degrade within a matter of monthes of being deposited in a landfill (garbage dump). The store charges 5 cents per bag and it is so darn flimsy that anything heavier than a bunch of teabags will likely fall out within 500 yards of the store.
The liquor commission (SAQ) goes one step further and offers no possibility of a bag. You walk right out clutching the bottle and showing all the world your sinfull pleasure.
With all that progress, I looked out my window this morning and there, caught up on one of the branches of the old tree outfront, was a bloody white plastic bag waving defiantly in the breeze....
Plus ?a change.
.
I should probably mention that I am not in the D.R.

 

[cobraboy]

I knew you were a "greenie" at heart.

Always have been since a small child.

 

[LTSteve]

Many times they are burning brush and not garbage. They also burn grass fields to drive the small crabs from their wholes. If you didn't smell it las night the wind may have been blowing the other way or they weren't burning. In LT I would be more concerned with all the garbage that flows through the river and into the sea. When it rains it is a major problem, but there is a continuous flow of bacteria and who knows what else flowing freely. I have attempted to e-mail officials with no luck or reply. This doesn't surprise me. They talk the talk but don't walk it.

LTSteve

 

[Will_Green]

Many times they are burning brush and not garbage. They also burn grass fields to drive the small crabs from their wholes. If you didn't smell it las night the wind may have been blowing the other way or they weren't burning. In LT I would be more concerned with all the garbage that flows through the river and into the sea. When it rains it is a major problem, but there is a continuous flow of bacteria and who knows what else flowing freely. I have attempted to e-mail officials with no luck or reply. This doesn't surprise me. They talk the talk but don't walk it.

LTSteve

Hi, Steve. Sad to hear that there are issues with the water as well. Is swimming generally safe, though? Are there particular places in which one shouldn't swim? Does this issue have an effect on the local marine food?

 

[Criss Colon]

"Will", the "Smell" is still there, you are just getting used to it!
That's a good start to living in the DR, ignoring everything that bothers you.
The government has a vested interest in having the streets lined with garbage.
They always use that as an excuse to get more money for trash collection.
Sadly, the money goes in their own pockets, NOT in trash collection.
And then they "Repeat as Needed"!!!!!!!
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