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Law 225-20 is the product of a broad consensus between the public and private sectors.
Santo Domingo — Unions representing the business sector continue to express Concern about the recent approval in the Senate of the Republic of an amendment to Law 255-20 on Integrated Management and Co-processing of Solid Waste. These unions claim that the legislative chamber made this decision without adequate public consultation or equitable representation in the discussions by the productive sectors.
Both the Dominican Confederation of Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (Codopyme) and the National Network of Business Support for Environmental Protection (Ecored) maintain that the modification was approved with the absence of key voices, such as those of the Ministry of the Environment, the Sustainable DO Public-Private Trust and business organizations, reflects a lack of inclusion that puts at risk the principles of governance sustainability and participation that underpin that law.
Codopyme understands that before considering reforms of this nature, it is necessary to prioritize the correct implementation of the pending aspects and ensure that the modifications reflect a balance between environmental demands and the economic capacities of the productive sectors, especially MSMEs.
It regrets that the proposed modifications, which contemplate disproportionate increases in the special contribution of up to 3,750%, generate serious concerns for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises representing the backbone of the national economy.
“These additional burdens would not only reduce its competitiveness, but would also affect the ability to sustain jobs and contribute to economic development, at a time of great challenges for the Dominican Republic,” he argues.
Meanwhile, Ecored says that the reform will “seriously” affect sustainability and comprehensive waste management and will significantly impact companies, especially MSMEs.
It argues that Law 225-20, enacted in 2020, is the product of a broad consensus between the public and private sectors. It emphasizes that before considering changes, it is crucial to implement the pending aspects of the current regulations.
In addition, it describes the reform as a setback to more than a decade of efforts to develop capacities for the management and recovery of solid waste in the country.
Does this law prohibit the use of plastic cutlery for takeout ? Or styrofoam food boxes? That stuff is one reason why there is so much garbage. I recently read an article from Dominican Today from the year 2019 ! Nothing has changed in 6 years despite the Dom Rep signing international agreements to protect the environment. No one should be complaining because there is garbage from one end of the country to the other.
THIS ARTICLE IS FROM DOMINICAN TODAY ONLINE NEWS APRIL 16, 2019
Plastics in the Dominican Republic: “It’s time for us to stop turning a blind eye”
Plastics represent 75% of all solid waste that reaches the seas and oceans, silently killing sea turtles, fish, birds, whales, and dolphins that are just some of the groups that are suffering the consequences of the 8 million tons of plastics that arrive as garbage to the oceans annually.
This is why the World Economic Forum predicts that, if the current trend continues, by 2050, in terms of weight, there will be more plastics than fish in the oceans.