Maeva López: “Contamination in Puerto Natales and How to Fix It”

Puerto Natales currently has a big problem with how it deals with garbage because it is collected infrequently and accumulates in public places around town. In Puerto Natales, there is a recycling point but just 10% of the town uses it because there aren’t too many people that know about it. So, if you walk around the neighborhood, you will see a lot of trash laying around, such as, oxidized pieces of old cars, bottles, cigarettes, tires, etc. Another problem is that instead of the trash truck coming every day, it goes to residential areas only once a week and goes to the downtown area only twice a week. As a result, when my brother and I take the bus home from school, we see a lot of trash scattered around and it’s very sad for us because all the colors you see are grey, black and dark green instead of seeing the natural landscapes around Puerto Natales. I often think to myself, “if there wasn’t so much trash on our neighborhood streets, the surrounding environment where we walk and play would be very beautiful and clean for everyone.” And, this would be amazing!

…there is a recycling point but just 10% of the town uses it because there aren’t too many people that know about it.

On the other hand, I’ve never seen trash here in Rapa Nui’s downtown area and even the residential areas are clean. More specifically, when I hang out with my island friends, I see that everywhere I go is clean! In fact, sometimes I see other high schoolers, like me, cleaning and maintaining the island. In my opinion, I think that the Rapa Nui love their island very much which really motivates and inspires them to protect it.

In order to propose solutions for my community in Puerto Natales, I would like to suggest first setting up and installing more public recycling points in the downtown and residential areas that are also closer and more convenient for residents. I think that if there were more convenient recycling points, then community members would start bringing their garbage and/or recyclable items more frequently, and this would make our town cleaner and more beautiful. Having a cleaner, more beautiful space and a better trash  collection service would definitely improve everyone’s quality of life.

Secondly, I think that the youth in Puerto Natales should do something similar to what is being done in Rapa Nui and start picking up trash along the streets and taking care better care of the plants around the island. While Puerto Natales is a very poor place, it is very beautiful and has a lot of potential. Improving our landscapes could also allow us to improve our local economy because we could increase the local tourism industry. Personally, I’ve met people that have traveled to Puerto Natales and the majority are shocked because of our trash. So, having a cleaner and more beautiful town, could open us up to the tourism market, and we could therefore make more money and become a wealthier town.

…having a cleaner and more beautiful town, could open us up to the tourism market.

And, finally, another potential solution could be installing a change machine whereby recyclable items are deposited in exchange for coins. The more items you put in, the more money you get out, and this strategy is a great way to inspire people to properly and frequently dispose of their trash. I truly think that this is an attractive method for motivating people to think in terms of taking better care of the environment. Moreover, making money is a really great outcome for people! Additionally, more importantly, this would allow us to demonstrate to our younger generations the importance of being cleaner, living healthier and having more eco-responsible habits and lifestyles!

 

Author: Maeva López
Date written: February 27th, 2020