Agua Pura

Spanish: Pure Water

Santiago, Dominican Rep.

Keeping plastic waste out of the Dominican Republic’s coral reefs.

Project impact at a glance.

16 mil

equivalent plastic bags
recovered to-date

83,037

kgs of plastic waste removed

waste workers provided with additional income

Project Agua Pura

Overview.

Keeping plastic waste out of the Dominican Republic’s coral reefs.

The Dominican Republic is known for its tropical beaches and natural beauty. The country sits on the second largest island in the Caribbean, surrounded by seas rich with life. Almost 1,000 miles (1,609 km) of Atlantic and Caribbean coastlines attract millions of tourists each year, primarily from the USA. But lots of tourists means lots of trash, and the country lacks waste collection services. Waste is usually burned or dumped – eventually finding its way to the sea. This causes visible plastic pollution, threatens wildlife and marine ecosystems, and leads to waves of plastic washing up on beaches.

Supporting this project protects the natural environment in the Dominican Republic by incentivising plastic collection by informal workers. Ocean-bound plastic is collected, sorted, bundled, and sent for recycling – enhancing waste worker livelihoods, and supporting a more circular economy.

Project images

Supporting these Sustainable Development Goals.

Transparency made simple: introducing reTrace.

reTraceTM is rePurpose Global's proprietary technology tool for impact verification.

Every kilogram of plastic waste is recorded, uploaded, and verified through a chain-of-custody approach.

reTraceTM makes all impact data readily available for regular third-party audits.

Download our impact protocols