Re: Trash talk

Posted by Vicki M on July 28, 2010, 12:20 am, in reply to "Re: Trash talk"
187.146.85.184

Aside from the caps contaminating the plastic recycling stream (as Mike pointed out), bottles that are not flattened cost more to ship, because of the added volume. I do not think the recycling bins are an issue of concern vis-a-vis dengue. On litter patrol, I remove garbage from recycling bins that I pass (to reduce contamination) and remove lids and flatten bottles. So, I spend quite a bit of time at some of the bins. I haven't noticed any standing water in the bins. Rain that may fall in them tends to drain or evaporate pretty quickly. And I understand you have to have water that stands for several days to provide an incubator situation. The only mosquitoes that I have experienced when servicing the recycling bins are 2 that are adjacent to the lagoon. Those mosquitoes origin from the lagoon . . . not from the recycling bins. I don't see mosquitoes near the recycling bin near the dumpster, which is 1 block from the lagoon. I do have to dance around that one sometimes because of some fierce ants, but that's because a colony lives nearby, not because of the recycling bin. To reduce mosquito bites, I carry a bottle of ZZZap, which is non-toxic repellent that the farmacia in LM sells. It works for me, for mosquitoes and sand fleas. Tourism generates a huge amount of plastic waste in LM. Better that it gets recycled than dumped at the local landfill in perpetuity, or worse, washed out to sea to break down and be consumed by wildlife. Indeed, I remove easily-accessible plastic and aluminum from garbage cans when I am on litter patrol, in order to recycle the material. I'm all for waste reduction and reuse and try to practice those techniques to reduce the need to recycle. It would be a good thing if everyone would do so, but I've been an environmental activist too long to be optimist that that approach only is adequate to the task. Living in LM affords some unique opportunities for someone who is an avid waste reducer and reuser. I buy milk from a local farmer, who fills my glass bottle. A local pig farmer collects food wastes at various locations in LM. It's much easier for me than composting. Local family stores and services reduce our need to use the car. One of my big fears is that non-returnable beer bottles will displace the returnables in Mexico. That will be a real tragedy. Glass recycling is very expensive because of the weight, and because the component parts of virgin glass is so cheap.

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