In my first few months in Guatemala, I winced every time I threw away a plastic yogurt cup or cardboard cereal box. It was extremely frustrating not to be able to recycle all of the things that fit into my cute blue bin in the United States. My trash can filled to the brim with all sorts of odd-shaped packaging that couldn’t go anywhere but a black plastic bag. That bag would soon be en route to the enormous landfill in the middle of Guatemala City, where it would take hundreds of years to degrade, if it is that plastic ever completely disintegrates.
Recycling isn’t nonexistent in Guatemala, but it’s not particularly user-friendly. You have to seek out a recycling center and travel a significant distance to drop off your recyclables. Most people leave recycling to the guajeros, people who live and work inside the fire and landslide-prone city dump, sorting out the salvageable recyclables they can exchange for a few quetzals.
I’m embarrassed to say that I’d become more complacent about throwing away my plastic, aluminum and cardboard in black garbage bags. Nobody else seemed to care, and what can I do if there isn’t time to schlep it across town?
While a community recycling program doesn’t seem to be in Guatemala City’s immediate future, an enterprising new company is attacking the problem of plastic garbage bags head-on. Several months ago, EcoGreen shopping and garbage bags starting popping up at check-out counters all over town. Each bag proudly states on its exterior that it is a corn-based product that will degrade in less than one year. It was surprising to see how quickly shopkeepers adopted the new bags and started touting their store’s environmental awareness.
I’m curious to learn more about the science behind these new bags, whether they’ll really degrade safely and easily in landfills and won’t lead to more deforestation for corn production. But I’m thrilled to see how hungry Guatemala City is to adopt practical green solutions to everyday environmental challenges.
Latest posts by Lisa Hetzel
- Evaluating Our Impact - December 23rd, 2009
- Educational Exchange with New Hope Teachers - December 15th, 2009
- How to Get Your Home-Culture Fix - December 4th, 2009
- What Are You Thankful For? - November 26th, 2009
- Nonprofit Network Launches Website - November 20th, 2009
- Graduation Season - November 13th, 2009
- Milking Your Tax Dollars from Afar - November 6th, 2009
- The Hidden Benefits of Volunteering - October 9th, 2009
- Secrets to Landing a Volunteer Position - October 2nd, 2009
- A Smorgasbord of Volunteer Opportunities, Chapin Style - September 28th, 2009
