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Urban Solid Waste Program
When visiting Akumal Norte, one cannot help but feel immersed in nature, surrounded by the lushness of mangroves, beaches, bays, and coves, which are proof of a truly paradisiacal place. And if you are lucky enough to witness the birth of little turtles or the nesting of adult turtles on the beaches, you will experience unforgettable moments that will stay with you forever.
We want to show our commitment to the planet by ensuring a controlled and certified process for managing solid and hazardous waste.
For some time now, we have reached an agreement with the Municipal Government to have the garbage truck collect waste from the containers of homes and businesses.
However, despite many neighbors making efforts to separate solid waste, when the Municipal truck arrives, they simply throw everything into its bin, and we know it will ultimately be dumped in an open-air landfill, contaminating the water of the underground river system that eventually flows into our local hydrological system.
Waste consists of all materials, packaging, and objects discarded after being used in human activities, whether domestic, commercial, or industrial.
All waste, if poorly managed, can end up in our jungle and oceans, causing great harm to the environment and human health, as it contaminates the soil, groundwater, and the sea.
In Akumal Norte, we do not want to be part of the criminal indifference to the environment. Therefore, we have decided to develop an internal project focused on training, regulations, equipment, and international certification for the responsible management of solid and hazardous waste.
From March to September 2025, the first part of the environmental management system in the Akumal Norte community will begin. It will start with a priority issue for citizens, authorities, and the environment.
During these months, we will learn to identify all types of waste generated in our community and how to properly separate them and send them to an appropriate final destination. This will greatly contribute to human and environmental health, and we will have a clean, healthy, and ecologically recommended community for our visitors and guests.
TYPES OF WASTE
Urban solid waste (RSU) can be classified by type, such as inorganic, organic, or recyclable waste like glass, plastics, and cardboard.
Special waste management (RME) refers to waste generated in production processes that are not considered urban solid waste or hazardous waste, such as construction and demolition waste and waste from household appliances and electronics.
Hazardous waste (RP) consists of waste that has intrinsic properties that pose risks to health because they are corrosive, reactive, explosive, toxic, or flammable.
Vecinos and the Akumal Ecological Center (CEA) are working together to establish this important program, and the collaboration of the entire community is crucial.
This waste management plan will begin in March 2025.
Volunteers will visit homes and condominiums in sections to collect data on the amount of waste each property generates during the high season. This survey follows one conducted during the low season, and now we need to complete the evaluation with the data from the high season.
The data we collect will allow us to determine the necessary logistics and infrastructure to effectively launch the recycling program. Your participation is crucial so we can move forward in a timely manner.
VISIT CALENDAR:
- March 10–14, 2025: Casa Esperanza to Condos Del Sol
- March 17–21, 2025: Playa Blanca to Casa Aurora
- March 24–28, 2025: Gaugin to Casa Milagros
- March 31–April 4, 2025: Houses on the small streets
HOW TO COLLABORATE AND PARTICIPATE
- Inform your employees about the importance of this project.
- Communicate the calendar with the visit dates.
- Request that your employees follow the instructions and attend the training sessions that will be provided.
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROJECT?
The purpose of creating a solid waste management plan in a community is to establish an organized and efficient system to manage waste, aiming to minimize the negative impacts on the environment and public health. Some of the main objectives are:
- Waste reduction: Establish measures to reduce the amount of waste generated in the community, promoting practices such as reuse and recycling.
- Proper management: Define how waste should be classified, collected, transported, treated, and disposed of to avoid soil, water, and air contamination.
- Education and awareness: Raise awareness among community members, workers, and visitors about the importance of proper waste management, encouraging responsible habits such as waste separation at the source.
- Improve quality of life: Proper waste management helps maintain a clean community, prevents the spread of diseases, and improves public health.
- Compliance with regulations: Help the community comply with local or national environmental laws and regulations, avoiding penalties and promoting sustainability.
- Encourage the circular economy: Incentivize the reuse and recycling of materials so that waste can become resources, which can also create jobs and economic opportunities within the community.
- A clean and organized community.
- Annual street, mangrove, and beach cleaning calendars.
- Preventing our visitors from bringing or buying polluting items.
- Stopping the use of plastic-packaged products.
FOLLOW THE LINKS BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SOLID WASTE, STUDIES, VIDEOS, AND MUCH MORE (IN SPANISH):
HOW MUCH PLASTIC WILL BE IN THE OCEAN IN 2024?
World must move beyond the era of waste and turn it into resources: UN report
Five cities in the world obsessed with trash
The countries in the world the accumulate the most hazardous waste
The ten countries that dump the most plastic into the oceans
REDUCE THE MARINE GARBAGE