By now nearly everyone knows that disposable foamy food and drink containers can’t be recycled and are bad for the planet. But who knew to avoid tossing cereal and cookie boxes and lots of other stuff into the nearest recycling bin?
Ajijic’s Citizen Recycling gave a crash course on discriminating between different types of inorganic waste to an attentive audience at the September 10 Conexiones networking program hosted by the Lake Chapala Society (LCS) and the local Chamber of Commerce.
Committee members Paola de Watterlot, Brian Stott and Doug Reid provided enlightenment on the program’s evolution and guidelines for distinguishing what materials the group is currently able to market. It’s a yes for discarded plastic items marked on the bottom with numbers one, two, four or five enclosed in a triangular symbol. Other plastics go in with mixed trash headed for the landfill.
The specifics were clarified by the nine classification display boards Reid created with corresponding sample items attached. The boards usually hang inside the Centro de Acopio (CDA) to guide paid and volunteer workers who sort materials for sale or disposal.
All kinds of glass and metal containers, clean, dry heavy cardboard and electronic devices are also manageable for handling through the CDA warehouse.
Helpful folks can save the sorters extra work by rinsing, removing labels and flattening items before drop-off into the 40 metal bins installed around Ajijic or delivery straight to the warehouse, open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Reciclaje Ajijic has recently produced posters and flyers explaining the details that are being distributed throughout the community. English and Spanish versions of the flyer were handed out at the Conexiones presentation.
As the program was ending, LCS Executive Director Steve Balfour called up committee president Tom Thompson to hand over a donation to go toward the acquisition of a plastics compactor that will increase recycling profits.
Balfour also gave a short pitch for a recycling and ecology party that LCS and the Reciclaje group are organizing for Saturday, October 5, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The admission “fee” is one piece of recyclable material.