Under the name “Samaná biodiverse, clean and sustainable”, authorities of that province and representatives of the tourism sector of the area started what they call an ambitious pilot project of waste management.
According to a press release, the initiative is an effort which seeks, as part of its objectives, to combat the plastic problem in the municipalities of Santa Bárbara, Las Terrenas, Sánchez and in the municipal districts of Las Galeras, El Limón and Arroyo Barril.
The launching of this public-private alliance was materialized in the signing of a memorandum of understanding between representatives of the public and private sectors.
The pilot plan will last for one year and will be implemented by the municipalities and municipal districts of the province of Samaná, the Center for the Conservation and Ecodevelopment of the Bay of Samaná and its Environment (CEBSE), Grupo Piñero, Viva Wyndham and the German Development Cooperation (GIZ).
In addition, the initiative will have the support of the Samaná Tourism Cluster and the technical assistance of the Samaná Provincial Directorate of the Environment.
In relation to the “Samaná biodiverse, clean and sustainable” roadmap, the actions included in the agreement include the establishment of a working group for solid waste management, the establishment of a local culture for sorting and recycling, the installation of green stations for waste collection and the improvement of the circularity of plastics in the different stages of the value chain.
“Through this effort we seek to sensitize the community on the environmental and socioeconomic benefits brought by the protection and preservation of our coastline, through the implementation of waste management. Clearly, the materialization of this agreement is the result of the commitment of important actors in the region, a work that Svenja Paulino, director of the Biodiversity and Business Program in Central America and the Dominican Republic, added: “The establishment of this alliance for waste management in Samaná is a historic milestone that involves a great deal of work of
municipal management, private sector and international cooperation, in an issue with a high complexity and impact on the ecosystems of the province. We are sure that this will be only the first step towards a biodiverse, clean and sustainable Samaná, which will be an example for the Dominican Republic”.
The signing took place at the Bahia Príncipe Luxury Samaná Hotel and was attended by Jesús Durán, president of the Samaná Tourism Cluster; Eduardo Esteban, mayor of the municipality of Las Terrenas; Inocencio de Jesús, mayor of the municipality of Sánchez; Denise Díaz, representative of the Santa Bárbara City Council; Luis Felipe Fermín, director of the Arroyo Barril District Board; Fernando Mercado, director of the El Limón District Board; Cecilio García, director of the Las Galeras District Board; Matías Colombo, representing the Piñero Group; Federico Vaccari, manager of Viva Wyndham V Samaná; and Patricia Lamelas, executive director of CEBSE, and GIZ staff.
More information
This initiative is supported by the German government, as part of a public-private partnership between Grupo Piñero and the develoPPP program, and the regional program “Prevention of Plastic Waste in the Seas of Central America and the Caribbean – Circular Caribbean”, financed by the European Union (EU). Both projects are implemented by GIZ on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), in coordination with the Central American Commission for Environment and Development (CCAD) of the Central American Integration System (SICA).