The Community of Saint Paul begins a Plastic Recycling Program in Sabana Yegua, Dominican Republic
About six months ago, the “Galilea” Parish Youth Group of La Sagrada Familia in Sabana Yegua took on a project sponsored by the Community of St. Paul. The idea was simple: to start a culture of recycling in town.
First, the youth made a short video that explained a twofold problem: the environmental contamination that arises from discarded plastics and the proliferation of mosquitoes that the trash laying on the streets attracts, which contributes to the propagation of illnesses, such as Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika.
In order to tape the video, the youth visited the city dump and saw the great quantity of plastics there in the open air. They were told that it takes many decades for the plastics to disintegrate. Once the video was edited, it was shown to the parish, as a tool to explain to as many people as possible the importance of carrying out a town “clean up”, by reusing and recycling plastic. The parish youth distributed bags and cans to the homes of families who wanted to participate in the project.
Currently, because of this initiative, there are 30 collection sites in town, where people can go to drop off their used plastic so that it can be recycled. Neighbors bring their plastics to these sites and the municipal garbage trucks pick them up one day each week. The plastic materials are stored in the town hall and picked up by a recycling company later.
The parish youth have also begun presenting talks to schools and other groups in Sabana Yegua, so that the entire town can receive the environmental education and participate in the initiative. They are also thinking of promoting recycling through activities that are at the same time educational and fun.
We hope to reduce the size of the town dump and the amount of plastic in the streets. To that end, we hope that everyone in town may participate in this endeavor!
First, the youth made a short video that explained a twofold problem: the environmental contamination that arises from discarded plastics and the proliferation of mosquitoes that the trash laying on the streets attracts, which contributes to the propagation of illnesses, such as Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika.
In order to tape the video, the youth visited the city dump and saw the great quantity of plastics there in the open air. They were told that it takes many decades for the plastics to disintegrate. Once the video was edited, it was shown to the parish, as a tool to explain to as many people as possible the importance of carrying out a town “clean up”, by reusing and recycling plastic. The parish youth distributed bags and cans to the homes of families who wanted to participate in the project.
Currently, because of this initiative, there are 30 collection sites in town, where people can go to drop off their used plastic so that it can be recycled. Neighbors bring their plastics to these sites and the municipal garbage trucks pick them up one day each week. The plastic materials are stored in the town hall and picked up by a recycling company later.
The parish youth have also begun presenting talks to schools and other groups in Sabana Yegua, so that the entire town can receive the environmental education and participate in the initiative. They are also thinking of promoting recycling through activities that are at the same time educational and fun.
We hope to reduce the size of the town dump and the amount of plastic in the streets. To that end, we hope that everyone in town may participate in this endeavor!
