| | |  News from Around Banderas Bay | September 2008 
Plastic Profits: Riviera Nayarit Begins Recycling Program
 Laura Gelezunas - PVNN
| | The Riviera Regional Recycling program does more than keep the streets clean. This cooperative, formed by local non-profits, works in recycling and organic composting projects in Punta de Mita, Higuera Blanca, Sayulita, San Pancho and Bucerias. | | |
Crunching the litter problem on the Bay's north side, the new Riviera Regional Recycling program goes beyond keeping the streets clean.
"A big part of this project is the education program, which involves visiting people in their homes," says José Luis Cano Lopez, Radical Recycler, "We talk to all family members about preventing the accumulation of trash and why it's important not to mix organic and inorganic trash. We also talk to them about separating and smashing the different plastics. The goal is to help them keep their home as clean as possible, it is not about sweeping everyday, it is about NOT making more trash."
"We're really excited to get this program off the ground," says Molly Fisher, PEACE Director, "This program was put together by four different non-profit organizations, PEACE, Sayulita Ricicla, Entre Amigos in San Pancho and Bucerias Ricicla. We got together with the Punta de Mita Foundation to receive a grant to be able to help us get containers and our start up and operating costs."
There are 60 containers among the four communities plus 30 employees and volunteers, who have specific jobs.
Not all plastics are created equal. Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET for short) is the most practical to recycle. The primary reason is that plastic water and soft drink bottles are almost exclusively PET which makes them easier to locate in a recycle stream at the factory.
Diana Ontiveros, Recycling Director explains that there are special bins just for aluminum, plastic and glass. She goes on to say, "People mix all the types of plastics and that is why we must separate all the containers first. We are looking for PET because this is the type we need for recycling. Once separated, we smash the containers and we put it in large plastic bags so it can be hauled to the Sayulita bodega, and from there it goes to recycling companies."
It has been common practice to sell the plastic to China. One of the goals is to have Mexican recycling companies purchase the collected goods. Companies reuse the plastic by producing electrical tubing, table tops and playground equipment. Riviera Regional Recycling hopes to make this program sustainable, creating jobs and keeping the town clean.
For more information, please visit PeaceMexico.org, PuntaDeMitaFoundation.org, or send an email to nrswedlow(at)gmail.com or alianzajaguar(at)gmail.com.
 A Banderas Bay non-profit organization, PEACE acts as an umbrella organization for four charitable programs, Casa Comunidad, Ayuda Los Animales (Help The Animals), a Women's Co-Op (Manos de Mujeres Unidas) and Community Pride. It is a U.S. non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, which accepts tax-deductible donations and a Mexican Civil Association that issues facturas for donations. For more information, please visit PeaceMexico.org or click HERE to read more about PEACE
 After having spent 10 years in the world of US broadcast news, Laura Gelezunas decided to unleash her skills on Puerto Vallarta by opening Video Diva Productions, a full-service, professional digital video company. Whether you're interested in a sales video, WEBmercial, music video, feature story, documentary, or corporate event video coverage, she has the experience, equipment and talent to coordinate a professional production. For more information, visit her website at VideoDivaProductions.com. |
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