(Article in Turkish about the Bodrum rubbish tip)
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Tuesday 13 March 2012
Green Dilemma
I'm in a recycling dilemma. Last week, as I carefully pushed my glass bottles through the correct hole in the Çevko recycling bin, a tramp, (can I still call a hairy, obviously homeless individual that) was pulling my bottles out the other side and adding to his stash in a shopping trolley. Being very British I carried on putting in one side and he carried on taking out the other. I could have just given them to him, but this way dignity was preserved on both sides. I was a bit confused how he was pulling my glass bottles out of the hole for plastic until I looked in and saw that everything is mixed together in the bin. Opportunist gentleman of the road aside, I'm not even sure I should be putting my used glass, tin and plastic into these bins; it's a habit I got into living in England. For as long as there has been rubbish to throw away on the Bodrum peninsula, there have been families living on the rubbish tips, sorting through all the detritus and selling it. Very efficient recycling. If you drive there you will see piles of wood, bones, plastic, rubber, paper, glass and so on. This is their livelihood, however smelly and unpleasant. In the twenty-first century, they shouldn't be up there doing this Dickensian job but as long as they are, shouldn't I be sending my rubbish up to them via the daily collection not putting it into blue bins. I've looked at the Çevko web site but I can't see where the proceeds of their recycling ends up. Ideally it would be used to re-home and re-educate the families from the rubbish tips, then I could put my bottles in the blue bins again without feeling guilty.
http://www.takvim.com.tr/Guncel/2011/08/09/geri-donusum
(Article in Turkish about the Bodrum rubbish tip)
(Article in Turkish about the Bodrum rubbish tip)
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having lessons and looking at your blog
ReplyDeleteand really enjoyíng it.
mom
Who is giving you lessons? See if you can put a name instead of anonymous.
Delete. . around Ortaca/Dalyan schemes seem to come and go. The bins get used for everything and the belediye just dumps everything into the holes in the ground. They built a state-of-the-art recycling plant, filled it up and then polluted a nearby river. We used to use a recycling business but even that has gone bust. Now there is no recycling!
ReplyDeletePlastic, glass and tin is obviously worth something - but not enough to get projects up and running.
DeleteIt's a tough one isn't it? The recycling bins of Fethiye have all now been changed for little tiny ones along the harbour now so that's kind of solved our dilemma. Our main household waste goes straight into the bin. There are always people round the outside bins here so anything that's useful (plastic bottles, cans and the like) goes into a separate bag and we leave it at the side of the bin. Guarantee it won't be there a few minutes later.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you here. I leave anything that can be burnt next to the bin and it's gone in minutes
DeleteSomeone(perhaps unkindly) told us that it doesn’t matter what you do with the rubbish, it all goes into landfill anyway. There was a huge fire at the Yalikavak tip a couple of years ago. All the families who lived around the tip lost their homes. The tip was eventually closed so they lost their living as well. Perhaps the answer is to invest in recycling centres and employ these people to work in them (and get the children to school to improve their prospects).
ReplyDeleteI asked where the recycling from the blue bins goes - to the tip. So it doesn't really make a difference where I put it.
DeleteWe now have no rubbish bins at all throughout our village, let alone recycling ones. Just one huge metal bin down in the village for everyone to use. Because it's quite a trek for the majority, most people just burn their rubbish. I get a few strange looks because I put the minimum of waste into the bin, but leave bags of old clothes, plastic bottles,etc next to the bin along with waste food for the dogs and cats.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt it all gets thrown into the bin when I'm out of sight, but I hope not.
Our village is very bad at getting rid of rubbish - we have no collection so a lot of junk has been dumped in the forest. When I'm back, I will start collecting it and hopefully shame the dumpers into taking it to the tip - (7kms away)
DeleteI got told off once by some old crone for putting my bottles etc into the correct bin!!! Apparently Turkey has one of the highest rates of recycling simply because of these scavengers!!!
ReplyDeleteEveryone throws up their hands in horror at these people living on the tips ( see the newspaper article link above) - but they do a fantastic job.
DeleteThink of the Mexicans who "mine" the trash heaps of Mexico City...I found this article:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/17/world/americas/for-some-in-mexico-trash-is-a-treasure-worth-defending.html?pagewanted=all
If there are people in this world who can find ways to recycle the trash that the world generates everyday then I applaud them...I will assist them in anyway I can. I believe in the USA it is against the law to "mine" the garbage dumps...why? if there are people who want to do it to live. Years ago I was at a landfill in Arizona and a young lady drove up in a truck and proceeded to throw out a beautiful set of furniture. She let everyone know that it belonged to her ex boyfriend/husband/partner and she was literally trashing it. I'm sure someone who was out there that day had that furniture on their truck before that young lady was out of the landfill. And why not, money to be made or new furniture to be had! Recycle, reuse, reduce, recover, repair...I thank any and all who do one or more of these 5 things! And I thank you BacktoBodrum please don't stop recycling!
Interesting article. Thanks Theanne.
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteJust came across this as I was researching Çevko and Bodrum's recycling issues- triggered by the shocking discovery the other day after a 10 day boat trip that Bodrum marina no longer collects these separately! Bins "take up too much room" they told me! I always give it the benefit of the doubt(also suspect they just end up on the dump anyway) and put my home recyclables into the ever scarcer bins, but always think the bulk of the materials must be generated by hotels and marinas etc-- and wonder if there is any provision for that. Will ask Bodrum environment office on Monday. A big new recycling plant is supposed to be built but what good will it do if collection is so inadequate?
Jayne Kenney
Jayne - I'd like to hear what the environment office has to day on Monday.
ReplyDeleteStill needs more research Annie- Güven from the Bodrum Bel. temizlik department told me over the phone they have a 48% recycling rate! I said how can that be with the ever tinier bins and what about the marina, hotels etc? Further investigation revealed the marina still has bins over behind the shops but they removed the ones near the main bathroom/office block where I think most people take their garbage. I suggested they put signs up and inform their staff etc. I did a mini phone survey - Diamond hotel told me they used to recycle but not anymore, the Marmara said a recycling company takes theirs but am still trying to find out who, and Sporium (sacks and sacks of pet water bottles every day) throws it into the regular bins. Güven bey said he could only explain it face to face so I will stop by and talk to him sometime. Maybe the kent konseyi tomorrow 3.30 at Bodrum Bel will shed some light? I will try to go along.
ReplyDelete