In the Dominican Republic, it is estimated that around 16,000 tons of waste are generated daily, and only approximately 5% of it is recycled. This means that most of it ends up in streets, rivers, beaches, landfills, and ultimately the ocean, creating multiple environmental problems. That's why Bepensa is committed to changing this reality today.
On Wednesday, January 21, an initiative called NUVI was launched. It is a partnership between public and private institutions for efficient waste management in the Dominican Republic. It was presented by the Association of Industries of the Dominican Republic (AIRD), which includes Bepensa, Ecored, Adiplast, Asibenas, and Adocem, with support from IDB Lab and more than 20 other companies.
All of us at NUVI recognize that what we often call waste is actually secondary raw material that can be reused. Instead of being a problem, it will be an opportunity to generate a circular economy with thousands of new jobs. But most importantly, we are taking decisive action to preserve the environment.
At Bepensa, we are very proud to participate in this major project because with this initiative, we will create a culture of reducing, reusing, recycling, and utilizing waste, which will save natural resources and energy, foster technological innovation, increase competitiveness, protect the environment, and create new jobs in the Dominican economy. This will allow us to continue driving our economic and social commitment to a new level.
The goal of this program is to collect more than two million pounds of small plastic bottles per month, impacting the environment. This will be achieved by installing infrastructure with collection points or "NUVI Points" where empty, crushed, and capped plastic bottles can be deposited. They will then be collected, sorted, and recycled into resin, which serves as the raw material for producing new bottles.
NUVI member companies will have a seal on their product labels, allowing citizens to identify their commitment to this first voluntary integrated waste management system in the Dominican Republic.
