Dear Sir,
I want to thank all 53 people and/or businesses who donated the recycling bins dotted around Ajijic. The recycling committee never dreamed the response would be so great.
After the Chapala Ecology Department and a local iron worker came up with the “bin” concept, they installed a few as samples and then turned the operation over to the committee. We have now installed 48 and five more are in the works.
As with all successes come bumps in the road. Some of you may have noticed that many of the bins are overflowing, day after day. This Tuesday I took a short ride around town in the section that is scheduled for Monday pick up. Quite a few are almost full again, meaning they won’t be emptied again until the following Monday. This is a sure sign of a successful program but it does create problems.
We are urging the Chapala government to add a truck and manpower in Ajijic to support this very successful program they initiated.
Another problem is that the mixture of glass and plastic endangers the workers who empty the bins, as well as the sorters at the recycling center. Our solution is to solicit donors to add a “glass & metal only” bin alongside each existing bin. This will make the collection process more efficient and hopefully faster and safer for the collection crew.
If you have already donated a bin, I will be contacting you to see if you’re ready to dig into the wallet to add a second one in your name for glass and metal.
If you have not yet sponsored a bin and want to help move this program to the next level, contact me by phone at 331-497-3620 or at Barbaras Bazaar. We have the iron worker preparing a quote for new, smaller bins. They hopefully can be made for a little less than the larger ones we have already installed. From now on, those wishing to donate a bin will need to order one for glass, one for plastic, plus the steel fork for the folded cardboard. The package will probably run close to $US190.
Thomas Thompson, Ajijic