Piling trash puts Greater Santo Domingo’s 3.7M residents at risk

Santo Domingo.- The Public Health Ministry on Friday warned that the accumulation of garbage poses a risk to Greater Santo Domingo’s 3.7 million residents, and opposes any measure that curtails the capacity of local governments to keep their respective jurisdictions clean.

In a statement, Public Health authority advised Duquesa landfill contractor, Lajun Corporation, not to halt the processing of the trash from six cities on weekends, noting that it jeopardizes the citizens’ health and the environment.

“The Ministry of Health also calls for a satisfactory agreement between mayors and the company so that the health of the population of Greater Santo Domingo is not affected,” the statement said.

The warning comes after a weeks-long dispute over fee Lajun charges of the tonnage of every garbage truck entering the dump, which is currently RD$3.00 per ton.

The contractor claims that shutting down operations on weekends aims to avert bankruptcy.