Mayor Carolina Mejía presided over the fifth annual “Plastics for Toys” initiative, where over 3.7 million plastic bottles were collected at the Municipal Palace of the National District.
Thousands of families lined up on the eve of Three Kings’ Day on 5 January 2025 to exchange 500 plastic bottles for a bicycle or 300 for a scooter, bringing joy to children with their new toys.
The mayor expressed immense satisfaction with the efforts of her municipal team and the support of sponsors who made the event possible once again. “Seeing the joy on the faces of our children is what public service is all about,” said Mejía. “It gives us the strength to keep going because those smiles, that joy of receiving a reward for collecting bottles, is also a great reward for us.”
Mejía highlighted new organizational and security measures implemented this year, including weighing bottles outside the venue, which allowed people to arrive at the Municipal Palace with their tickets ready to exchange for toys.
Carolina Mejía emphasized that “Plastics for Toys” is an initiative carried out with immense love but also highlighted its educational and wellness purpose through recycling.
The over 3.7 million bottles collected in this edition add to the more than 14 million collected in previous editions and the “Plastics for Schools” program. The Bottles of Love Foundation will receive the plastic bottles to be transformed into urban furniture to be used in municipal parks.
The fifth edition of “Plastics for Toys” was made possible thanks to the support of Propagas, Banreservas, Banco Popular, Banco BHD, Café Santo Domingo, Dominicana Compañía de Seguros, Martí, Uepa Tickets, Coca-Cola, Hilos de Amor, McDonald’s, and Farmacias GBC.
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El Dia
7 January 2025