Many of us here in Sayulita have seen first-hand or have been directly impacted by the growing problem of garbage that is left behind on our beaches and in our streets. Additionally, we have witnessed the struggle to obtain an organized system for the handling and disposing of recycling throughout our community. For a long time, many of us felt hopeless—as if this was just the way it was going to be now in Sayulita: cans, bottles, and glass on our beaches; trash scattered on the streets. It became the new normal to see garbage bags piled next to palm trees—a poignant juxtaposition of Mother Nature vs. Man-kind.
The lack of an organized recycling system has impacted our businesses, our economy, our sense of connection, our environment, and at times, even our health. It has caused numerous debates and controversies among our residents regarding the best course of action to take in response. It has at times also challenged Sayulita’s reputation of being a community that is progressive, forward thinking, and dedicated to caring for our environment. However, most importantly, it has ultimately pushed us into action. Finally, our community of Sayulita is working together to help make a difference in getting garbage and recycling in the right places. Many people have stepped up to make a difference and combat this issue.
One of those groups in particular is Grupo ProSayulita, and the hard work and dedication of Terry and Jon Turrell. Thanks to them and numerous sponsors, they have helped to fund the Sayulita Recycle Bin Pickup Program. Terry and Jon’s primary concern in coming up with a solution to our community’s recycling problem was how they could help set up a system to not only get our community recycling, but to also facilitate transporting the recycling to the new Recycle Center. Thanks to them, the Sayulita Recycle Bin Pickup Program has provided a solution to both of those problems, and they look forward to expanding their program even further.
The Sayulita Recycle Bin Pickup Program currently now has a total of 23 recycle bins located throughout town, including several on Niños Heroes Street, Gabriel Rodriguez (near the top of the road), and around the plaza/ near the main break beach. Before these recycle bins were put in place, a lot of people didn’t know how to separate glass from plastic, or they had no way of getting their recycling to the Recycle Center, because the new location is one mile outside of Sayulita’s centro. As a result, a lot of recyclable items (like glass or plastic) ended up in the trash, or even worse, on the streets and on our beaches. Now, each recycle station includes a plastic recycle bin and a glass recycle bin. In addition to building and placing the bins around town, the Sayulita Recycle Bin Pickup Program manages the pick-up of the recycling and the transferring of it to the new Recycle Center. This is truly an incredible and successful step forward for our little pueblo of Sayulita.
Some of the most prominent recycle bins are located at Minisuper Cubeta, Super Mi Tiendita across from the plaza, and Alas Blancas market. These bins are filling up on average in just three to five days. The location of these bins, due to their proximity to the plaza, liquor store, and the main beach, will encourage people to recycle their cans and bottles rather than leave them behind. Hopefully this will greatly decrease the amount of trash left on and around the main break beach and plaza area.
Most of the bins are filling up very quickly, some even overflowing. Therefore, Sayulita Recycle Bin Pickup Program now has weekly pick-ups. Daniel Camacho has agreed to manage the program with the help of Gabriel Jones, of Casa Vecino, while Terry and Jon are away for the summer; a big thank you to these guys for stepping up to the plate to help!
For those of you who are interested in sponsoring recycle bins in Sayulita or want to help get involved, the Sayulita Recycle Bin Pickup Program will begin building more bins in November. Currently it costs $600 pesos to sponsor a plastic recycle bin, and $400 pesos for a glass recycle bin. The price includes the cost of the bin, the sign, the chain, and the lock. The sponsor is responsible for managing pick-up and hauling their recycling to the Recycle Center. Please contact Terry and Jon Turrell for more information at terturrell@hotmail.com. If you can’t afford to sponsor a bin, or don’t want the responsibility of managing a bin, you can still help the Sayulita Recycle Bin Pickup Program by making a donation: visit their PayPal link at sayulitarecyclebinspickup@gmail.com.
Written by Aanya Sheik-Taheri