¡Recycling!

It is 6:30 AM and I am standing on the balcony of the bedroom. I take a close up shot of this view in the distance. It is not an uncommon sight, people going through garbage and collecting tins. There is no recycling for homes, condo or apartment buildings here. Playa del Carmen has just recently put recycling containers on the beach and the main street. These containers are so small, they fill quickly though. Garbage cans or bags, or in this case, the condo building has a small dumpster, are in front of all homes and buildings. The garbage is collected daily, sometimes twice. At all times of the day or night, families, mothers with young children, singles or couples are going through the garbage collecting tins. I have seen this practise for almost 7 years now. If I have a lot of tins, I put them in a bag and wait until someone comes by or I give the bag to them directly. They are grateful.

Once enough cans have been collected, these people will take them to an aluminum plant, to have them weighed and then to recycling. As you can imagine, they do not get a lot of money per kilogram but it is a small source of income for these people. The hardest part is when I see mothers and children collecting.

This couple leaves the dumpster as they found it. It looks like they are sharing a joke. I see they have sticks. Many don´t and use their bare hands to go through the garbage.

Now, it is 6:40 AM and they continue on until they find another garbage container, big or small. As I watch, another man approaches the last dumpster. He will be disappointed.