What are we doing?
The No Más Basura Campaign focuses on concerns about health and the environment in the communities of La Ventana and El Sargento. The No Más Basura Committee is a group of residents, both extranjero and local population, who volunteer their time and talents to address what we see as a crisis situation.
Dr. Mike Chmel and Javier Ponce serve as co-chairmen of the group, and we meet weekly during the winter season, from October to April. Anyone interested is more than welcome to join us in helping make our community more clean and beautiful.
The No Más Basura Campaign focuses on concerns about health and the environment in the communities of La Ventana and El Sargento. The No Más Basura Committee is a group of residents, both extranjero and local population, who volunteer their time and talents to address what we see as a crisis situation.
Dr. Mike Chmel and Javier Ponce serve as co-chairmen of the group, and we meet weekly during the winter season, from October to April. Anyone interested is more than welcome to join us in helping make our community more clean and beautiful.
The No Màs Basura committee worked hard last year to become a legal non-profit organization in Mexico. We succeeded and are very proud of our new status. No Màs Basura can now issue tax receipts for donations.
Our mission statement:
The No Más Basura Campaign will improve the health and beauty of our community by encouraging reuse, recycling, reduction and responsible disposal of trash through education and well-managed recycling, removal, and landfill operations. |
We are a small group with no funding, and there are municipal issues that we cannot resolve ourselves, so we began by figuring out what we can do. We have identified the most critical issues in regards to garbage and its relation to health issues and have selected the following priorities for the 2017/2018 season:
- Provide trash removal and sanitation facilities for campers on the beach during Semana Santa. Request help with this from the municipality and local businesses.
- Continue the recycling program for the community, and make the Farmer’s Market a clean market where people bring their own bags and beverage containers.
- Raise awareness of serious health risks caused by unsanitary conditions. Dr. Mike Chmel, a long-time seasonal resident of La Ventana, provides information on disease risk and prevention on the health page of our website.
- Involve young community members in education and action to help raise the importance of local and global environmental issues.
- Fundraise to support our mission.
History and Ongoing Challenges
With the influx of Norte Americano expatriates who are building homes here, plus thousands of kiters and others who come here for recreation each season, the area swells from about 1,500 residents in the summer to about 3,500 during the winter. It is estimated that growth in the area is 15 to 20% annually.
The list of things we need to do to manage the resulting trash seems endless, but all we can do is prioritize and continue to move ahead. The truth is, our beautiful community is awash in a sea of trash that is causing environmental and aesthetic concerns. Even more important are the health risks that occur in large part as a result of the mismanaged garbage.
The Dump
The little Ventana Bay area dump is nearly full. Since the community has officially become a delegación, it is obligated to provide its own dump, so the adjacent community of Los Planes will no longer accept our trash. It is up to the local government to provide a new dump.
Trash pickup comes from La Paz, and it is erratic. This also is an issue for the government to resolve.
Meanwhile, continued recycling will take some of the pressure off the dump.
Special Events
Semana Santa and other major events such as kitesurfing competitions put a tremendous strain on community, resulting in tons of trash and open-pit toilets left on the beach by campers.
Local Businesses
Builders, contractors, hotels, resorts and restaurants have been dumping their trash in the desert and arroyos. They need to be provided with an environmentally-sound place to dump, and be held accountable for using it.
Disease and Danger
Non-decomposing trash allows freestanding water that encourages mosquito reproduction and related diseases such as dengue fever, chikungunya, and, possibly, zika. Unmanaged trash attracts rodents, which can bring flea-borne diseases, including plague. (Learn more about this on our health page.)
Batteries disposed in the landfill put toxic chemicals into the ground water.
Even the health of the wandering cows is at risk. As they root through the garbage, they may eat things that cause them to become sick, or plastic that can block their windpipes and suffocate them.
Involving Local Citizens
The ultimate goal, and the key to the success of the No Mas Basura campaign, is for all citizens of the area to be aware of the importance of waste management and be involved in programs to responsibly manage waste. A lack of access to recycling, reliable trash pick-up, and a viable local landfill has made it difficult for everyone to dispose of trash in a responsible manner.
Local citizens are the only ones in a position to lobby their government for the things they need to make their community clean and safe. Our goal is to work with them in any way we can to accomplish this.
With the influx of Norte Americano expatriates who are building homes here, plus thousands of kiters and others who come here for recreation each season, the area swells from about 1,500 residents in the summer to about 3,500 during the winter. It is estimated that growth in the area is 15 to 20% annually.
The list of things we need to do to manage the resulting trash seems endless, but all we can do is prioritize and continue to move ahead. The truth is, our beautiful community is awash in a sea of trash that is causing environmental and aesthetic concerns. Even more important are the health risks that occur in large part as a result of the mismanaged garbage.
The Dump
The little Ventana Bay area dump is nearly full. Since the community has officially become a delegación, it is obligated to provide its own dump, so the adjacent community of Los Planes will no longer accept our trash. It is up to the local government to provide a new dump.
Trash pickup comes from La Paz, and it is erratic. This also is an issue for the government to resolve.
Meanwhile, continued recycling will take some of the pressure off the dump.
Special Events
Semana Santa and other major events such as kitesurfing competitions put a tremendous strain on community, resulting in tons of trash and open-pit toilets left on the beach by campers.
Local Businesses
Builders, contractors, hotels, resorts and restaurants have been dumping their trash in the desert and arroyos. They need to be provided with an environmentally-sound place to dump, and be held accountable for using it.
Disease and Danger
Non-decomposing trash allows freestanding water that encourages mosquito reproduction and related diseases such as dengue fever, chikungunya, and, possibly, zika. Unmanaged trash attracts rodents, which can bring flea-borne diseases, including plague. (Learn more about this on our health page.)
Batteries disposed in the landfill put toxic chemicals into the ground water.
Even the health of the wandering cows is at risk. As they root through the garbage, they may eat things that cause them to become sick, or plastic that can block their windpipes and suffocate them.
Involving Local Citizens
The ultimate goal, and the key to the success of the No Mas Basura campaign, is for all citizens of the area to be aware of the importance of waste management and be involved in programs to responsibly manage waste. A lack of access to recycling, reliable trash pick-up, and a viable local landfill has made it difficult for everyone to dispose of trash in a responsible manner.
Local citizens are the only ones in a position to lobby their government for the things they need to make their community clean and safe. Our goal is to work with them in any way we can to accomplish this.
