This might a be silly question, but I am curious. What is required or suggested, for the residents in your area to do in helping the environment much like the "[i:sattow3s]Go Green[/i:sattow3s]" efforts taken here in the USA, as well as other Countries. What if any, are the recycling requirements for the Yucatan as far as separating personal items for disposal, such as: newspapers, boxes, ferrous & non ferrous metals, glass, etc.. What do you do about large items such as old washers, driers, stoves, and items like this?

Mike

Official Recycling Requirements? I don't think there are any.



I know of 4 options:

1. We have a place about 2 blocks away (Calle 82 & 39 - on the border of GG & Centro?) that pays by the kilo for aluminum, steel, and plastic pop bottles - so, you have to separate them into their own bags.



2. My favorite place is on the other side of the tracks, to the west and a block south from the Old Jail/Penitentiary. These guys pay good prices for steel, aluminum, plastic, radiators, Air Conditioners, etc. I've only taken loads of stuff there (where they weigh your truck before & after unloading), so, I don't know how they handle a few bags of stuff.



3. My brother-in-law has tried to (re-)find a place on the Northwest of Mérida that has even better prices, not too far inside Periferico, but we couldn't (re-) find them. Can anybody out there please tell us how to get there.



4. My second favorite option are pepenidoros: guys cruising around on their cargueros (3 wheeled bikes). Since they seem to have no specific routes & schedules, I just string the pop bottles together with a daisy-chain of thin nylon cord, and hang it out-front - or bundle up the cardboard/carton - and leave it out front - and it disappears in 30 min. - 2 days....



much luck!

Here in Chelem, our local dump takes anything (Frige, Washer ...) however, I find if you tell any of the caretakers around you you have any appliance or electronic device your gonna dump they will want it. I am sure anything cn be fixed and resold by someone here. If not them, they they will sell it to whoever can fix it or use it for parts. The Chelem dump folks will also sort your trash after you dump it off but I still have 3 cans (Aluminum, bottles, other) and a compost pile for paper, fruits, veggies ... The cans go to the caretaker across the street who called dibs on them and the Chelem folks seem to appreaciate not having to sort thru my trash to sort them.

Outstanding posts Wiz1, and Paul. That was exactly the information I was looking for. The Recycling Industry has been my forte for over 25+ yrs. I was very interested to hear if this area has these services available. Honestly, for a few days it made me wonder about the possibility for a new enterprise. Glad that this area is filled, and everybody is well satisfied. Thanks for the responses.



Mike

Out here along the beach near Telcahc Puerto everything taken to the dump just south of the village is picked over very thoroughly by scavengers (and the zopilotes).  Everything that could possibly be recycled is recycled.  I have even seen girls collecting discarded plastic bolsas from supermarkets and stacking them (which makes me wonder what they do with the filthy bags, particularly the next time I am handed a bag of fruit when I go to a market).

Jorgito

Thanks Jorgito, I would hope that any of the plastic bags where at least cleaned and a strong disinfectant by the reseller, or the store itself, prior to be returned into the public. It might be best not to know these things, and use caution, and plenty of hand sanitizer whenever you shop.

I am very curious about the glass bottles collected. We have several glass recycling facilities here which crush the glass and separate them by color. If you did not know, when glass is injected with a color, like green or brown it is always that color. The color remains, and is unable to be removed even a 2500 degrees in liquid form. That is why clear glass carries such a higher price by recyclers.

Mike

Mike,

 

Before all of this insanity - drug war that isn't, H1N1 fake "crisis," and global recession, it was announced that Progreso would get a new glass recycling plant. I haven't heard anything about it since any of this other foolishness began. Don't know when or even IF former plans will move forward.

hummm... don't see a way to edit a previous post - so sorry for the double post - BUT - Mike, if you can't read Spanish, run this address through google translate: http://www.merida.gob.mx/ecomerida/ciudadmaslimpia/inicio.htm  That's got "some" regulations in it - for Merida only... I'll keep looking and see what I can turn up.

 

and I'll try to find the address of the recycling center too. I had it, but Heaven only knows what I did with it!

Yes they reuse (not recycle) glass bottles as protectors for walls :)

You can buy beer in returnable bottles here

Coka Cola, Crystal brand sodas, mineral water, and (as already noted) beer are all available in returnable bottles.  Some disposible bottles are recycled to package locally-produced honey sold at mercados and to hold paint thinner, kerosene, and other liquids sold from bulk barrels in hardware stores.  I often see huge truck loads of empty disposable two liter plastic soda bottles.  I have no idea what happens to them; perhaps I don't really want to know.

Jorgito 

Jorgito wrote:  I have no idea what happens to them; perhaps I don't really want to know. Jorgito

 

Great question Jorgito, I can answer that one. Because you need to know, we need to recycle everything.

 

To be brief. When they are delivered at the recycle center, they are cleaned and they run through a machine which cuts them into very small pieces, usually 1/4'' square maximum. Then they are usually put into 3' x 3' Gaylord Boxes and made ready for shipping. The carriers used to transport this materials are rail, or overland truckers transport them to Injection Molding Companies. Injection molding machines press by high pressure injection into a mold, and turn these loose plactic pieces into new plastic bottles, toys, plastic hairspray bottles, even dashboards on new VW's, you get the idea etc..