Biggest Dominican landfill has only 7 years of life left, contractor warns

Santo Domingo.- The landfill at Duquesa has around sevenyears of life left, since 70 percent ofits 123 hectares is being exploited and occupied by its infrastructure, contractorLujan Corporation chief of operations Max Da Silva warned Thursday.

He said the fact that the landfill receives around 60percent of solid waste generated in the country makes it “a big problem."

He said conditions are ripe to build a new landfill thatis suitable to store, treat, recycle and dispose trash. "The first step howeveris to improve the disposal of solid waste, among other initiatives, create aculture to pay the trash collection service for the many tons deposited at Duquesa."

He said Santo Domingo province currently accounts for 36percent of the national population, and generates 60 percent of waste, hauledby 400 trucks daily, or 112,000 tons of waste monthly.

The landfill contractor said the National District accountsfor 55 percent of Greater Santo Domingo’s waste; Santo Domingo East 23 percent;Santo Domingo West 15 percent; Santo Domingo North 9 percent; Los Alcarrizos4percent; Peter Brand one percent and other townships the rest.

Da Silva provided the figures at the seminar GeneralAspects of the Commonwealth and the Greater Santo Domingo Experience.