Ajijic’s incipient recycling program is now under the management of an ad hoc citizens committee established Monday, December 10 by a vote among volunteers who signed up at a public meeting held the week before.
Local businessman Tom Thompson was elected unanimously to serve as committee chairman. He will be assisted by officers Juan Carlos López, treasurer; Esther Parada, auditor; Sofia Márquez, interim secretary; Paola de Waterlott, spokesperson;
Mónica Diez, commissioner; and six board members. They will be formally sworn in next week by Chapala Mayor Moisés Anaya. Jaime acts as general coordinator and city hall representative.
Proceeds generated by the sale of discarded plastic, metal, glass, cardboard and paper goods to recycling outfits will be held in a trust fund account. The committee will determine priorities to spend profits on community projects, based on public opinion surveys and the ecology chief’s advice on protecting the environment.
Jaime reported that most businesses and residents are separating their refuse for curbside pickup in central Ajijic. With selective collection now programmed Monday through Friday, starting at 7 a.m. on the east side of town, the retrieval of suitable waste is averaging 500 to 600 kilos per day. The material is sorted and bundled for transfer by five municipal employees who staff the provisional Centro de Acopio depository located on the town’s western outskirts.