Spanish
The guilds of the tourism and hotel sector expressed their opposition to the recent approval, by the congress, of the bill that modifies the General Law on Integral Management and Co-processing of Solid Waste No. 225-20, without the proper technical depth and impact analysis, warning about the risks that this reform represents for environmental sustainability, the competitiveness of the sector and municipal autonomy.
The entities expressed their disagreement with the inaction of the congress regarding the adverse effects of sargassum and its impact on tourism, by not declaring this macroalga as waste and not establishing the possibility of valuing it. Tourism and hotel investments allocate millions of resources to maintain and preserve the coast against the arrival of tons of sargassum and that the current regulations, by not considering sargassum as waste, do not allow mechanisms for its final disposal.
The Association of Hotels and Tourism of the Dominican Republic (ASONAHORES), Association of Hotels and Tourism of the Dominican Republic, Dominican Association of Real Estate Tourism Companies (ADETI), Dominican Association of Restaurants (ADERES), Dominican Association of Casual Food and Rapid Service (ADECOR), Dominican Association of Travel and Tourism Agencies (ADAVIT), Association of Hotels of the East (ASOLESTE), Association of Hotels and Restaurants of Santiago (ASHORESA), Association of Hotels Romana Bayahíbe (AHRB), Association of Hotels of Santo Domingo (AHSD), Association of Hotels of Juan Dolio, Association of Hotels and Tourism Companies of Samaná (AHETSA); Dominican Association of Parks and Excursions (ADOPETUR), Association of Hotels, Restaurants and Tourism Companies of the North (ASHONORTE) and Association of Hotels and Tourism El Seibo-Miches (PROMICHES) reiterate that, after having carried out a detailed analysis of the project, they warn that multiple approved provisions promote practices that are clearly monopolistic and directly affect the efficient management of solid waste, compromise the environmental commitments assumed by the country and the sector, and fragment the joint efforts between the public and private sectors.
Among the most relevant concerns, it is pointed out that the new wording limits the possibility for companies, including tourist establishments, to directly or jointly manage the valorization of their waste, affecting their ability to comply with international sustainability standards and their environmental commitments.
Likewise, the imposition of mandatory waste delivery to managers authorized by local governments severely restricts the freedom of choice and operation of companies that have made significant investments in their own infrastructure for the responsible management of their waste.
On the other hand, the obligation to establish a single landfill per province and a single treatment plant per region creates the risk of concentrating the service in the hands of a few actors, promoting monopolistic practices and reducing the efficiency of the system.
They also indicated that the creation of a special contribution for waste management calculated based on the gross income of companies is concerning, without considering the quantity or type of waste generated. This formula generates a disproportionate and inequitable burden for sectors such as tourism, especially for small and medium-sized establishments, whose margins are more reduced and whose waste, in many cases, is already managed under strict standards.
They warn that the legal insecurity in the way permits already granted to operating waste-to-energy plants are addressed is concerning. The exclusive recognition of the acquired rights of existing landfills, and not of other approved and operational infrastructures, contradicts the constitutional principle of non-retroactivity of the law, affecting investor confidence and exposing the State to potential claims.
Regarding the Waste Management Trust, they view the composition of the board with concern, as it includes representatives from the beneficiary industry, which generates a clear conflict of interest.
ASONAHORES calls on the presidency to observe this legislative project and for these observations to be analyzed in a technical, open, plural, and participatory dialogue process, reiterating its willingness to work together with the authorities and other sectors, with the aim of building balanced legislation that promotes sustainable development, anti-monopoly practices, and the correct management of solid waste in the Dominican Republic.
