BajaNomad - Litter in Baja

Litter in Baja

Bob H - 3-18-2013 at 09:24 AM

Wow, Ken, we posted this subject just a couple of seconds apart. I reposted your old thread from 2009.

tripledigitken - 3-18-2013 at 09:25 AM

We have commented while driving south that it appears Baja is slowly getting better about the litter tossed out of cars.

The trash cans, while often times full, are being used in the remote areas.

Not really litter, but the rise of recycling has removed the wrecked trucks and their cargo for the most part.

The dumps, at least the ones visable from the road, are managed poorly. Coverage with dirt embankent is all but non-existent. A good dump sadly it seems, is one that is on the leeward side of the road.

tripledigitken - 3-18-2013 at 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bob H
Wow, Ken, we posted this subject just a couple of seconds apart. I reposted your old thread from 2009.

Bob,

No point in two polls, I took the new one down. I think similar results would be found 4 years later. The beaches in populated areas seem to be a huge challenge. The bloody plastic trash bags are a curse, especially bad through the San Quintin Valley it seems.

As it has been said already, it is a slow process to educate the peeps about litter. If not for the volunteer clean up crews on our highways NOB, our roads would be a mess I'm sad to say.

Ken

bajaguy - 3-18-2013 at 09:46 AM

People are not invested in where they live or their country........I see people nob and sob throw litter out of their cars, dump their ashtrays and leave dirty diapers in shopping carts, parking lots and beside the road. It's just a habit with them..............I guess "somebody" will pick it up.

I have to ask.....would they do this at their home?????

DENNIS - 3-18-2013 at 10:02 AM

There is more awareness these days with better schooling and media exposure.
Along with that, businesses here could be doing a better job of making trash recepticles available. In many cases they don't and the crap goes on the ground.

sancho - 3-18-2013 at 11:01 AM

Litter does not seem to have a high priority in Mex,
I can remember when it wasn't in the US to the
degree it is now, seems to be some education in the schools In Mex,
some things change slowly

David K - 3-18-2013 at 11:21 AM

Who's old enough to remember "Give a Hoot, Don't Pollute" and the Indian with a tear rolling down his face after seeing all the trash being thrown out of moving cars?

It was bad here in the USA too... Mexico is just catching up, some 40 years later... I am happy to see less trash being tossed than before.

No reason it can't stay on the vehicle's floor or a bag in the car, until you get home or to a genuine dumpster (and not a trash can that simply gets emptied in the desert beyond view of the highway)!

Viva Baja!

bajaguy - 3-18-2013 at 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by David K
No reason it can't stay on the vehicle's floor or a bag in the car, until you get home or to a genuine dumpster (and not a trash can that simply gets emptied in the desert beyond view of the highway)!Viva Baja!

Yes there is........if they throw it out of their car, it's not a bother to them

CortezBlue - 3-18-2013 at 11:28 AM

I remember about 10 years ago there were a half dozen rusted out cars between Mexicali and SF not to mention the numerous tires.

I remember reading an article several years back that the college students in Mexicali have put together eco minded groups to pick up Hwy 5

However, last weekend at the 250, I still see the Mexican's just drop beer bottles everywhere. Then a short time later I saw another Mexican come and pickup cans and bottles.

ncampion - 3-18-2013 at 11:59 AM

Clearly improving. I remember about 10 years ago, a friend of mine just finished taking the test for Mex. citizenship, and he told me he only missed one question. I asked him what was the question, and he said, "When driving down the road, which side of the car do you throw the empty beer can out of". He should have know it was the passenger side!!!

willardguy - 3-18-2013 at 12:05 PM

wouldnt it be great if there were a bounty on plastic and glass like there is with aluminum and steel? plastic will probably never happen but doesnt glass have some value NOB ? a glass recycler in baja? :?:

Loretana - 3-18-2013 at 12:05 PM

Personally, I'm really encouraged at the attention that litter and the subsequent clean up has gotten here in Baja Sur. Loreto is so much cleaner now.

When I drove down to La Paz last Thursday, I saw many green giant trash bags filled and waiting for pick up on the side of the road.

I have no idea who filled them, but I'm guessing the state or municipal government is behind the clean up in preparation for the Semana Santa holidays.
And good on them! :bounce:

David K - 3-18-2013 at 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ncampion
Clearly improving. I remember about 10 years ago, a friend of mine just finished taking the test for Mex. citizenship, and he told me he only missed one question. I asked him what was the question, and he said, "When driving down the road, which side of the car do you throw the empty beer can out of". He should have know it was the passenger side!!!

vgabndo - 3-18-2013 at 01:01 PM

Funny you should mention him.

Iron Eyes Cody.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=D...

Iron Eyes was a second generation Italian named Espera DeCorti; born in Louisiana in 1904. He was in a lot of movies.

The original was a good Public Service Announcement.

The one above highlights a tiny oasis in the magalopolis which still exists today. They needed to hide a trash landfill!

The Feds spent big loot on the Cody PSA's and "give a hoot". Baja highways seem to have about an equal amount of anti-littering signs as I see in the states. Maybe Mexico needs an owl?
:lol:

David K - 3-18-2013 at 01:13 PM

Great Perry, thanks!

MMc - 3-18-2013 at 04:14 PM

We can all thank Ladybird Johnson, until till she started keep America Beautiful. America looked much the same. She coined the term litterbug.
If you read Travels with Charlie, Steinbeck refers to trash around townships as he approaches.
Baja is getting better, but the flag is still a tee shirt bag blowing off a cactus.

BajaBlanca - 3-18-2013 at 09:12 PM

https://www.sites.google.com/site/cleaningupbaja/

thought I would share ... and boy have I got some wild stories to tell about starting the whole process in la bocana ... one time I came home isobbing because one of the businesses started trashing up an area of his place where we had spent days cleaning. Then I went to his house and started yelling at him stuff like "do you think I enjoy cleaning up trash ????" "why are you being so messy ???" and I mean I was so upset that I was yelling loudly and every single neighbor of his started coming out ! I was tired and that day I really lost it .... and went home sobbing. He never trashed it again. I mean, would you ??????

Then there was the time I posted huge pics of someone's really very messy yard at the local tienda after I asked if I could clean it up and they said no. I asked if I could get my Mexican helper to do it (thinking maybe they were insulted by having a gringa do it) and they said no. Then I asked if I could PAY THEM TO CLEAN IT and when they said no, I went home, got the camera and took photos. and I kid you not, I posted the photos at the local store that EVERYONE goes to at least once if not more times in a day.

Needless to say, that yard was cleaned up the next day. I was thrilled and Silvia and I have become best friends.

Ohhhhh the stories .......... :biggrin:

bajamedic - 3-18-2013 at 11:26 PM

Just a few shots that were taken during my February 2013 San Felipe trip and I can assure you that I brought home many more photos of some beautiful scenery (if you like the desert). El Dorado Ranch and most of the Campos were very clean, far better than I had expected.

I believe these guys are doing their part to keep the trash in San Felipe under control and sorry for the bugs on the windshield.

I do have a lot of great shots that do not include the trash, but this thread was about the garbage. JH

ncampion - 3-19-2013 at 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by willardguy
wouldnt it be great if there were a bounty on plastic and glass like there is with aluminum and steel? plastic will probably never happen but doesnt glass have some value NOB ? a glass recycler in baja? :?:

In Loreto they do recycle aluminum and recently, clear plastic bottles. I wish they would start doing glass, there's lots of that around. In general, Loreto has gotten a lot cleaner in the last few years, but the dump still has a long way to go.

Beer Bottles

bajaguy - 3-19-2013 at 10:03 AM

Wonder if beer places would accept empty non-returnable bottles????

Some improvements

windgrrl - 3-19-2013 at 12:39 PM

On this winter's drive down, we noticed that trash is a significant problem in Canada, the US and Baja.

Down Mex 1, especially in BCS, quite a number of men walking through the ditches and collecting cans. The gardener at our RV park also collected any cans, but beer bottles were left. Some brands of beer bottles can be returned to the point of purchase and are returnable with the carton and proof of purchase. There are also recycling programs in many places. We saw a few semis loaded with what looked like baled used plastic several times on the highway.

I think things are improving. In the past two trips down, although trash is evident, civic pride is showing on the main streets with attention to landscaping, maintenance and men hard at work cleaning up and sweeping the junk that visitors and locals alike scatter about.

[Edited on 3-19-2013 by windgrrl]

DavidE - 3-19-2013 at 01:55 PM

The SCT maintains green & white litter can pull outs on the mainland. For centuries, trash was thrown out the back window for the pig or wind to sort through. My first view of many poblaciones was first passing through mounds of trash (usually rusting steel cans and burned out wrecks and old tires. Some years ago, I forgot when, they hauled out hundreds of wrecked cars which went north.

vgabndo - 3-24-2013 at 06:40 PM

Along the Malicon in Loreto are lots of kid-friendly litter containers.

172aa.jpg - 28kB

BajaBlanca - 3-24-2013 at 06:46 PM

Those kid friendly containers are so neat. I first saw them in La Paz. They even have them in Punta Abreojos.

dtbushpilot - 3-24-2013 at 07:05 PM

When we first moved into our condo in BV about 6 years ago the beach would be left a mess after a big weekend. The municipality placed a couple of those kid friendly trash cans at the big palapa at the beach access and there was a noticable improvement. It seems that if people don't have somewhere convinient to put the trash they will just leave it.
It's too late to rehab the older generation but not too late to teach the kids. It's getting better...