The Revelator - Raúl Zecca Castel

Raúl Zecca Castel

is an anthropologist at the University of Milan-Bicocca and a freelance writer and filmmaker. His work focuses on migration, labor, and gender in the context of Dominican bateyes, where he has been conducting ethnographic research since 2013. He is the author of the monographs “Come schiavi in libertà” (Arcoiris, 2015) and “Mastico y trago. Donne, famiglia e amore in un batey dominicano” (Editpress, 2023).

People sort through garbage as more is dumped onto a landfill

Pollution & Toxins

Closing Landfills, Throwing Away People

The Dominican Republic aims to modernize its waste-management system. But what will happen to the thousands of people — many of them undocumented — who rely on garbage to survive?

July 21, 2025

Raúl Zecca Castel

The Dominican Republic aims to modernize its waste-management system. But what will happen to the thousands of people — many of them undocumented — who rely on garbage to survive?