Boca Chica is a beachside municipality in the Dominican Republic, 12 miles from Santo Domingo, known for its beautiful, calm blue waters and… its trash. The amount of trash is enormous.
For years, tourists have taken to social media to warn other travelers away from the town because of the litter, nuisance graffiti, excessive motorbike traffic and beggars. But that’s changing.
Newly appointed Mayor Ramon Candelaria is determined to tackle these problems, first declaring a “state of emergency” due to the 75 to 100 tonnes of garbage produced in the city every day.
“The city of Boca Chica is officially in a state of emergency because it generates between 75 and 100 tonnes of waste per day, with even more on weekends because of beachgoers,” he said. “The illegal landfill was created as a result of recent government inaction,” Candelaria said.
The new mayor has worked hard to improve the city’s appearance, and from his first day in office he launched a major campaign to clean up trash and remove illegal landfills.
The clean-up operation began at 11 a.m. with the support of the Executive Office for Solid Waste Issues of the Presidency of the Republic (ECO 5), and involved around 60 people, 14 trucks, one retro excavator and three mechanical excavators.
Status of Sargassum species on the coast of the Dominican Republic
Sargassum seaweed in the Dominican Republic is another type of litter that affects its gorgeous beaches.
Fortunately, resort management and Dominican Republic authorities have developed a strategy for daily collection of Sargassum both on the beach and in the open sea.
This timeline shows the overall seaweed situation over the past few days. This information was taken from the Algues sargasses Punta Cana and Sargassum Seaweed Updates Dominican Republic FB groups.
May 2
– Arena Gorda Beach, where the Riu Palace Punta Cana is located, had very few sargassums this day.
– There were no sargassum plants on Majestic Elegance Resort’s beach, Playa Bavaro.
May 1st
– Juanillo Beach, the beach at Secrets Cap Cana Resort & Spa, had low to moderate levels of sargassum.
– Arena Gorda Beach, a beach at the Riu Palace Punta Cana, had moderate levels of Sargassum, which were quickly discovered by authorities.
April 30
– Arena Gorda Beach, the beach at the Riu Palace Punta Cana, had very little seaweed but the water was clean.
– Playa Bavaro, the beach at the Lopesan Costa Bavaro Resort, had small clumps of seaweed, but nothing that would ruin a visitor’s day at the beach.
