The socio-economic circuits of recycling in the city of Santo-Domingo,

Dominican Republic

 

 

This research was carried out within the PRECEUP framework and went on for 9 months (from June 1998 to February 1999). The fundamental objective of this qualitative research was to identify the socio-economic circuits of recycling in Santo-Domingo, so as to initiate and stimulate actions in this sector.

 

In the Dominican Republic, approximately 30% of the total population lives in the capital city. The environmental situation has deteriorated, causing serious damage to the public environment, water and health. The collection of waste is theoretically handled by the municipality ; however, due to the insufficiency of the service, private collection by community operators is made necessary.

As a result of the country’s economic evolution and of growing rural-urban migration, the informal sector, to which the majority of waste recycling operators belong, has substantially inflated.

The applied methodology first of all required research targets to be defined. Five were selected:

Different data collection tools were used, depending on the addressed operators: interviews (at work or at home, via more or less detailed questionnaires), direct observation, telephone surveys (to determine what enterprises recycled materials), dialogue groups, etc.

Besides, particular effort was made to classify and file the collected data since no element had previously been indexed regarding this sector or these operators.

 

The first part of the report is more quantitative. It throws a light on their socio-economic situation and shows the proportional link that exists between the living conditions of an individual and his position in the waste business chain. The lower you are on the scale, the less education you and your children can receive, the lower your income, the more you live in precarious lodgings in remote insalubrious areas and suffer from health problems.

 

 

The waste-related activity is generally the main occupation of these people, who essentially belong to the informal sector. The following report provides important elements on informality in Santo-Domingo and proposes several definitions for the notion, including FONDOMICRO’s definition, which underlines the problems faced by the small and micro enterprises concerned.

 

In addition, the report focuses on the logic directing the activity of these operators (regulation of the system, power logic…) and shows that a good understanding of the recycling sector requires a by-product distinction.

 

Several large enterprises with a particular product (metal, glass, paper/cardboard and plastic) are therefore analysed. The quantitative data collected relate to their manpower, their equipment, the quantities of treated waste, etc. As to qualitative data, they are based on comments from directors of these enterprises on the pros and cons of each activity.

 

On the whole, all agree that the activity is profitable and that new markets do exist but also that the sector needs organisation and structure, that techniques should be improved and, last but not least, that public policies and state participation are a prerequisite for any action to flourish.