San Jose de Ocoa will be the first town in the Dominican Republic to implement worm composting to reduce the amount of garbage generated and put the garbage to good use. Engineer Victor Polanco, the winner of a US$4,500 Ford Foundation award for environmental conservation, is implementing his plan in the La Cienaga de Naranjal municipality. He envisions the treatment of 10-15 tons of garbage a month in this vicinity, with operations to be expanded subsequently to the five municipalities in the province of San Jose de Ocoa. He explained that the farm community generates lots of organic wastes that are burned. Instead of burning them or throwing them into nearby rivers, which harms the environment, the garbage will be classified and treated. The project will cost RD$300,000, according to a report in El Caribe, and will depend on a sufficient flow of refuse in order to be successful. Polanco says the organic fertilizer produced through the program will be sold for use in area farms.
See http://www.elcaribe.com.do/articulo_multimedios.aspx?id=35129