Plastic waste chokes surfers' paradise

So far this year, Dominican Republic has hosted 2.5 million tourists. But lots of tourists means lots of trash. An all-inclusive report with 1,000 beds gets through 1.2 million plastic bottles each year. And recycling facilities are virtually non-existent on the island.

There are more than 350 illegal dumps across the island, and ever more beaches are strewn with trash. This isn't just unsightly, it also releases CO₂.

Worldwide, tourism is responsible for an estimated 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Which is why the UN Environment Programme's Transforming Tourism initiative is working to reduce the climate impact of tourism in ten countries.

In Dominican Republic, project manager Eddy Rosado works with the company Ecoservices to collect waste from hotel chains, recycle it, or export it to countries that can. And more and more hotels are getting involved.

Fim by Katja Döhne

Video list

Information

Language
German

Length
7,01 min

Date of publication
2021

Country
Dominican Republic

Project

Transforming tourism value chains in developing countries and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to accelerate more resource efficient, low carbon development