Santo Domingo.– Residents and community members of El Aguacate, in the municipality of Pedro Brand, expressed openness to support a modern recycling and waste valorization plant, considering that it is a different model from an open-air landfill and that it will represent benefits for the community, as long as it operates under environmental controls and organized criteria.
The statements were offered by residents of different sectors of the municipality of Pedro Brand, who agreed in pointing out that there is concern about any project that may represent contamination or affect the environment, but clarified that a modern plant should not be confused with an open-air landfill like those that have historically generated environmental problems in the country.
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Meanwhile, Cándido Frías, a farmer and resident of Pedregal de Pedro Brand, considered that the population should listen to and know any modern recycling proposal before taking a definitive position. Likewise, he proposed the need to create spaces for dialogue between the company OakHouse and the community members to guarantee transparency and follow-up on the project. “A modern recycling, not a landfill where the community agrees, you understand me, that instead of harming us, whatever it is, benefits the residents and the sectors, is another thing,” he stated. Nomar Tejeda Berroa, a motorcycle taxi driver from the area, pointed out that the residents’ fear is due to the belief that the project is a traditional landfill that will affect water sources. However, he indicated that many residents would be willing to support a modern recycling plant if it really works under a different model. “If it’s a recycling plant, you might agree. Nobody wants garbage in their house or next to it, and even less if they’re being bothered,” he expressed. Julio Mora Eduardo Mora, a private employee, also shared this opinion, valuing that the plant can generate between 1,500 and 2,000 jobs for the community, but he strongly opposed a traditional landfill. “An open-air landfill can even damage the environment and everything, but if it’s a recycling plant like they say it is, it can be beneficial for the country and for the country, nothing more, for this here,” he affirmed. Meanwhile, Rafael Brito Turbí, a farmer and resident of La Cuaba, was emphatic in stating: “If it’s a recycling plant, yes, but a landfill, we don’t accept that here. That, we definitely don’t.” Fabián Santamaría, a day laborer from the municipality, valued that a plant would generate many jobs, boosting the economic progress of its inhabitants. “Many say it’s a landfill, many say it’s a plant. I, if it’s a landfill, I don’t agree. Now if it’s a plant as they say with a lot of value and that is going to give many jobs in the community, which we don’t have, I agree,” he said. Freddy Alcántara from the Los Jobos community categorically opposed an open landfill, citing the environmental case of the Duquesa landfill as an example, but positively weighed the benefits of a well-structured and closed plant, as outlined by the Oakhouse company during its presentations to the community. “A project was presented that is going to be organized, not like the one in Duquesa. That’s why I agree. If it’s as disorganized as the one in Duquesa, I don’t agree. As long as it’s a well-organized recycling plant.”The project
Executives from the Oakhouse company have reported that the landfill and solid waste valorization plant project that will be developed in El Aguacate, Pedro Brand, has been conceived and designed under modern criteria for integral waste management and is supported by specialized technical studies that endorse its environmental and operational viability.
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They assure that the project incorporates environmental control and protection measures aimed at ensuring proper waste management and minimizing any impact on the environment and nearby communities. They emphasize that the project includes a specialized system for the management and treatment of leachate generated by the waste, incorporating environmental control and protection mechanisms. And that, as part of these measures, a high-security geomembrane will be installed to prevent any filtration into the subsoil.
