Most of us use to recycle in our home countries. Fortunately, it is normally a simple process, you just need to separate your garbage and put it in the right container… easy-peasy! Yet, things get a bit more difficult if you are travelling around countries without a good recycling infrastructure. The following article applies to Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. Here, recycling habits aren’t as established as they should be.
In the countries we visit, there are normally no separate containers for recycling. The garbage system may vary a lot from region to region, but the most common situation is a local van or trolley passing through with some fun music. You take out your trash when you hear the sound, and the workers will gladly take it after a small tip… but what about recycling? Do you need to separate the garbage types? Will they just mix it all afterwards?
Sadly, many times they’ll just mix it all… but there is some hope! After asking some of the workers around my neighbourhood in Mexico City, they explained to us that they would really appreciate it if we separate our waste into some different categories that they can sell at the recycling centre. Even if the place to leave the garbage is the same for all waste, the cleaning workers can do some extra money if we try to separate our waste into:
When you travel with Lupita, count on us doing our best to recycle, but please understand it isn’t always possible to do it perfectly… Space is essential in any overland vehicle. Despite sacrificing some space for extra passengers, we decided to have basic recycling separated bin in our vehicle. This means there is one recycling bin for clean PET, aluminium and glass; and one main bin for organics and any other dirty residues.
While travelling, we will need to leave the garbage in different places (such as hotels and campings, service stations and parking areas). We’ll make sure we leave it organized to facilitate the local workers’ labour 😉
Apart from that, we encourage you to refill your water bottle with the potable water we carry on board. This way we’ll low plastic consumption. Plus, hydration will keep you healthy and full of energy to enjoy your adventure!
Last but not least… we would like to dedicate this post to all the recyclers in Mexico, Guatemala and Belize… hard-working people that make a better world each morning with a smile on their faces… We love you “pepenadores/as”!
