Re: Trash talk

Posted by Vicki M on July 24, 2010, 9:32 pm, in reply to "Re: Trash talk"
187.146.85.184

By and large, La Manzanilla locals are not littering the beach. It is some of the day tourists who are doing so. And by no means are all of them doing so, because the large garbage dumpster and cans near the beach are almost overflowing at the end of a big tourist day. During high season, the municipality of La Huerta brings in a 2nd garbage dumpster. These are emptied on a daily basis. I do not accept that it is inherent in the Mexican culture to throw litter everywhere. Indeed, I witness many who clean in front their place of business or residence each day. Since it was paved, Maria Asunsion is actually quite litter-free. Certainly, the highways are awful and I hope that in future Mexico will find a way to educate people that it is not respectful to their country to make it look this way. There is currently a 9-week effort funded by Jalisco for beautification of the village. As I understand it, 50 women and 20 men spend 2 hours a day on various projects, some of which is for removing litter. I've loaned some of my grabbers to that effort. Among other locations, they cleaned the road parallel to the beach (towards Boca Iguanas), which was awful after Easter and cleaned the crucero at at the highway. Also, they targeted the arroyo one day at my suggestion, to get as much out before the rains wash it to sea. There has been a lot of improvement over the last 30 years. When I first visited LM in 1980, the beach was literally a blanket of garbage at the end of Christmas week. There was no cleanup . . . it simply washed out with the tide. There were at least 10 buses in town today. In a little less than 2 hours, I collected 2 buckets of litter, and 1 bucket was owing to 2 bags that had been collected and placed on a table that I know no one services. Alas, there were 3 diapers in the tidal zone . . . I hate to see that! But I got 'em before they washed to sea. My first encounter was an older Mexican man who said to me, "Ecologia". I agreed, and said that the plastic is terrible for the tortugas, which are in abundance here. He thanked me as I continued on my way. Another group of young adults also thanked me as I passed by their blanket, and on my return they were gone and their area was spotless. The same was true for another family that I passed, and they had even been at one of the paid umbrella tables (which many people assume are cleaned by the people from whom they rent (alas, the cleaning happens in the morning, so if the tide comes up to the table a lot is washed to sea). Indeed, it is a rare day that one or more Mexicans doesn't say thanks. This goes for the ejido, who have me a Certificate of Appreciation during rodeo week this year. My fundamental objective in cleaning the beach is to reduce the plastic in the ocean, for the benefit of the wildlife. I know from experience that my example makes some people more conscious too. It would be better if I did litter patrol when the most people are on the beach. However, I don't work in the sun, so that means I'm usually out when there are fewer people around. Often, young kids are interested in how my grabber works, and run around while I am near them picking up things for my bucket. Usually, I explain that it is the inorganic waste that is the problem. Coconuts . . . no problem. So, I will continue doing what I am doing as long as I am physically able. I really think it best for gringos to be seen doing this, because it is understood that we are volunteering our efforts. A friend of mine who is part of the paid crew told me that when Mexicans see other Mexicans on a cleanup detail, they tend to think it is ok to litter because it is someone's job to clean it up. That's not good, because there are not adequate resources to pay for people to get out to the beach on daily basis. In my opinion, in really needs to be done with frequency, before the tide takes it off and breaks it into small pieces. Frankly, I would prefer that the government not have to spend money on removing litter. Their limited resources would be much better spent on getting a sewer system in. A village this size with septic systems is bad, bad news for the bay. Thanks again in advance for others in assisting in beach patrol. I know I am not alone. In particular, Helga is a gem. Another gem is a man who keeps the beach north of town clean in the winter and who I know prefers to remain nameless. I am sure there are others, but we could use more hands on deck, especially at this time of year.

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