As refuse continues to accumulate in the streets of Santo Domingo, the Attwoods Dominicana company, which is under contract to the government for the collection of rubbish in the capital, has suspended its daily operations because of the lack of adequate dumping sites.
The dump in the community of Guerra, which Attwoods has been using for the last four weeks, is reported to have been filled to its maximum capacity. Representatives of the company have met with the Santo Domingo city council in order to discuss alternatives for the disposal of the refuse. The main dump for the National District, Duquesa, has been closed for several weeks because the amount of rubbish it contains now poses a serious threat to the health of surrounding residents and the environment in general.
Meanwhile, lawyers acting for Dixi Sanitary Services, of which Attwoods Dominicana is a subsidiary, are currently in the D.R. to fight decree No. 300-96 of former President Joaquin Balaguer, which gave the city council the power to closely supervise the performance of the company and rescind the contract if it is found that Attwoods is not keeping to its undertakings. Rolando de la Cruz Bello, the company’s legal representative, has challenged the clause in the decree giving the city council the right to terminate the agreement. The mayor of Santo Domingo, Rafael Subervi Bonilla, has said that he is not interested in ending the contract, which has been in effect since May, 1992, but, rather, to ensure that the company properly carries out its undertakings by providing a proper refuse collection service. Both Mr. Subervi and his predecessor Rafael Corporan de los Santos have harshly criticized the performance of Attwoods, which has responded by saying that the lack of adequate rubbish tips is the real problem.