Environmental specialist José Luis Nazario Lora is calling for a combined effort from all sectors involved to come up with a definitive solution for the management of solid waste in the province of Puerto Plata and avoid the damage the current situation is causing to the population and tourism in the area due to the constant fires at the garbage dump.
Nazario Lora, a civil engineer with a master’s degree in Sanitary and Environmental Engineering from PUCMM, says that if the situation were to be managed properly the frequent fires would not happen. He said a definitive solution should be a plant for controlled incineration that would also generate electricity.
He said that even though a new port has been built and another is under construction, if the current situation is not controlled there will be a negative impact and permanent damage to the image of Puerto Plata as a destination for tourists. He pointed out that the design of a proper system has already been done and the treatment plant partially built but it lacked an evaporation system for heavy metals. However, even though the cost is reasonable at around RD$50 million, nothing has happened.
He reported a Spanish company was turned down with their offer for a garbage-fueled electricity plant. The authorities say they are in conversations with Koreans.
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6 March 2019