Many of you are probably already familiar with waste management systems in the U.S. We leave our trash and recycling bins on the street once a day every week, and a trash truck shows up to take it all away. Most of our waste goes to landfills, although some cities have made major progress with recycling. However, the US isn't in the clear yet. Our country produces a lot of waste. According to Environment America, "the majority of waste (62%) discarded by homes and businesses in the U.S. is ultimately dumped into landfills or burned in incinerators." While more Americans are becoming aware of climate change and sustainability, we still need to find better long-term solutions for how we deal with our waste because both burning trash and throwing it into landfills are harmful to our planet.
What's it like in the Dominican Republic? How do people there manage waste?
The government in the Dominican Republic (DR) is working to establish a more reliable waste collection system. The country has trash trucks, just like in the U.S., and designated days for trash pick-up. In the town where I lived, I would leave my trash bags on the side of the road every Tuesday morning.
