"Todo En Su Lugar"

On our way to Nahuizalco, we drove up a small, dirt road that passed by several communities. Up ahead, we noticed a huge plume of grey-white smoke by the side of the road and the smell was awful--so awful, in fact, that every window in the van was slammed shut instantaneously. Sure enough, when we passed by, I saw that two boys were burning a huge pile of trash--cardboard, milk cartons, soda bottles, plastic bags... all in one huge bonfire-of-sorts. Since then, I´ve seen burning trash countless times in various parts of the city, including Altos de Jardines.

In a place where trash collction is either not available or tremendously expensive, burning solid waste seems like a reasonable solution because it prevents trash accumulation in a cost-effective way. But as I looked into the implications of waste burning on community health, I realized how negative its impacts truly are. When trash like yogurt cups and styrofoam are burned, styrene is released in the fumes--and it is easily absorbed through the skin or mucosal membranes. Carcinogenic dioxins are also by-products of burning plastics--especially those containing PVC. These toxins (and many more) can have serious repercussions on the human body: increased incidence of heart disease, asthma, emphysema, nausea, headaches, and damage to internal organs top the list.*

Learning more about the "facts" behind trash burning brings whole new meaning and importance to the work we are doing with Circulo Solidario in the community of Altos de Jardines. During the environmental awareness workshops for the youth, we´ve been promoting the motto "Todo En Su Lugar" ("Everything In Its Place"). That is to say, we´re partnering with the organization to teach recycling at its core in an informal way. So much of the waste that is burned could (if separated) be in some way reused within the community. To illustrate this point, we helped the children prepare simple crafts; using outdated newspapers, they created rather impressive baskets (using only glue and a little tape!) and fun Christmas wreaths. The youth are also learning how to turn used, plastic bottles into truly beautiful floral wall decorations. Through these fun and practical manualidades (crafts), the youth are also decreasing the amount of trash that will be deposited somewhere or burned.

In order to begin this movement of reusing and recycling in Altos de Jardines, nothing short of a community paradigm shift in the community will be required; nevertheless, I hope that these youth workshops will catalyze a movement towards environmental awareness and healthier lifestyles.

*Data from "Dangerous Health Effects of Home Burning of Plastics and Waste.¨ http://www.wecf.eu/cms/download/ 2004-2005/homeburning_plastics.pdf.