Plastic Drive Collects 16.5 Million Bottles and Distributes School Kits

Families taking part in the Dominican Republic’s Plásticos por Útiles Escolares campaign exchanged collected plastic waste for school supplies, including backpacks and electronic tablets.

The campaign’s third edition ended with 16.5 million bottles collected and more than 24,000 kits distributed. Organizers said the effort benefited more than 10,000 families.

Carolina Mejía, mayor of the National District, said the program eased the financial pressure that comes with the start of the school year for families in the capital. “We closed today having completed the weighing count for all the people we served, and we have a count of 16.5 million little bottles,” Mejía said.

The latest total adds to bottles collected through earlier editions of Plásticos por Juguetes and Plásticos por Útiles Escolares. Organizers said the two initiatives have gathered 53.5 million bottles combined, making them among the country’s largest environmental awareness campaigns.

Around 400 security agents helped maintain order and protect participants. The campaign involved the Education Ministry and companies and organizations including Banco Popular, Propagas, Grupo Ramos, Rica, McDonald’s, Seaboard and Planeta Azul.

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We closed today having completed the weighing count for all the people we served, and we have a count of 16.5 million little bottles.