Recycling Festival in La Penita Sunday 18 August: Why Recycling Matters
Tara A. Spears
Recycling is one of the most important activities we can undertake to help protect ourselves, our environment, and our community. This is the process of converting waste materials into new, useful products and the La Penita event will showcase creative ideas that may motivate residents to start reusing materials.
As those familiar with Jaltemba Bay are aware, the management of waste has reached crisis level with the Guayabitos Landfill exceeding maximum capacity years ago. The recurring, spontaneous fires that result from the degrading garbage are toxic and pose a real health risk to residents besides creating runoff pollution that negatively impacts the nearby ocean and marine life.
After a series of demonstrations, blockades and sit-ins at the facilities of the La Colmena landfill (the Guayabitos landfill) multiple times and during the last 7 years, citizens have worked in coordination with the municipal authorities. “We are warning that we will remain vigilant to ensure that a total closure is in effect and that a new sanitary landfill as established by law is created,” said local activist Cristobal Fernandez Araujo.
“It’s time for a definitive solution and that it is not a speech that the municipal authority is doing right now at the beginning of its administration. We have already seen that in the first weeks the municipal administrations put a lot of effort into certain issues and then they slack off.”
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The state government is slow to address the problem despite pressure from residents and visitors. Finally, the government closed the landfill and the state government is pursuing other options: but don’t expect a quick fix. We are beyond the talking stage and need to take action now.
One thing that everyone can implement immediately is recycling. Since there is a very limited trash collection in effect-less than once a week- recycling is critical for reducing the amount of waste that needs to go into a landfill. By reducing waste, recycling also reduces the amount of resources we use to produce new products. A new group of volunteers have banded together to address the pollution problem, Brigada Pro Jaltemba lead by dedicated residents, Patricia Cardona; Everardo Contreras; Malú Delgado; Dulce Díaz; José Galán; Hektor González; Nereyda Guzmán; Ana López; Verónica Luna; Sergio Marin; Nidya Ramírez.
To help people change the way that they approach trash, the Brigada Pro Jaltemba team has been working for weeks to create a fun, informational program that will share tips and ideas for recycling. It’s free and takes place at the La Penita town square Sunday, August 18, 2024 beginning at 5 pm. The event is free and open to the public. I’m excited to see the clothes made from recycled materials!
As the population of Los Ayala, Guayabitos, and La Penita has more than doubles since I have lived here, plus the thousands of transient visitors that generate a LOT of waste, it is no surprise that waste management needs to be re-thought and improved. It takes a united effort from the individual and the government to develop a safe, responsible trash collection system and disposal.
Currently, on a week day tons of waste are generated and you can double that for weekends and TRIPLE that amount for the holiday weeks in Jaltemba Bay. Since we can’t count on the state government to quickly assist in the landfill crisis, it is the responsibility of each person to adjust their habits. By reducing and recycling, pollution will be reduced and the towns optimize the use of landfills. Come to the La Penita Recycling Program to get tips and ideas.
