Garbage or Resource? A Dominican Republic Experience

The Dominican Republic has more than 340 open-air landfills without any type of management or control, which have become highly-concentrated areas of air and water pollution. They are an unseen danger for every Dominican. Fortunately, the country is witnessing cultural changes which are creating initiatives that convert this “problem” into an opportunity for development. The message is clear: trash is no longer just trash, rather it has value. As long as trash can be utilized, it is not trash.The appropriate term is “discarded material,” a resource which is raw material and then turned into a new product. Garbage or Resource? A Dominican Republic Experience, a film produced by GFDD/FUNGLODE, depicts how recycling has become an important economic opportunity for Dominicans. Through various corporate and educational projects, the viewer observes how– aside from the obvious environmental benefits– recycling enables economic development through the generation of new companies and industries. A short film which inspires, moves and calls to action.

Director Bio
Natasha Despotovic is the Executive Director of the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development with offices in Washington D.C. and New York. She is a graduate of philosophy, literature, Spanish, French and English. Natasha has had an extensive and diverse international career in which she has held-high level positions in the private, public, non-governmental and multilateral sectors in Europe, the Dominican Republic and the United States. Ms. Despotovic is the Director of the Dominican Environmental Film Festival.