How to Dispose of Batteries in Merida
For those of us who have had the REDUCE - RECYCLE - REUSE mantra circling in our heads for decades now, coming to Merida has challenged our ability to maintain our values in this area. Reducing is definitely easier here. We have figured that just living here means we use less resources than we would in the United States... it's a fact of life. On top of that, of course, we try to reduce our consumption of things like fashionable clothing, close-toed shoes, sweaters and any number of other things.
And one of the first things we noticed when we moved here is that there were few (almost none, really...) thrift stores, used clothing stores, antique stores or used book stores. Yes, there are a few. But so few in relation to the size of this city. Mexicans are born with the ability to reuse (or if they aren't going to reuse something, they have a cousin or a grandchild or a maid who will...). It's a part of the culture.
But recycling, now that is a different story. Recycling is not easy here. Yes, people will pick up cans on the street because cans can be traded in for a few pesos. And the same with metal junk (chatarra). But plastic bottles? They might reuse a few, but the rest seem to end up on the side of the road. Ditto plastic bags.
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So imagine our delight when we recently came across the instructions on how to dispose of batteries!! It seems the city of Merida is participating in a national program to dispose of batteries in a manner that is healthy for the people and the planet. First, they are educating the public to understand that throwing away batteries is not a good idea. Eventually, those batteries end up in the dump, and eventually, the chemicals in those batteries end up in the water supply. This isn't good for anyone.
So, here are your instructions:
First, wrap the battery with tape. No instructions on the kind of tape, sorry.
Then, take the batteries to one of these authorized battery drop off centers:
|
place |
address |
|
Palacio Municipal |
Calle 62 s/n por 61 y 63 Centro |
|
Desarrollo Social |
Calle 64 No. 547 por 69 y 70 Centro |
|
Mercado de San Benito |
Calle 54 por 56 Centro |
|
C.S.I. Carlos Castillo Peraza |
Calle 93 por 66 y 68 Centro |
|
C.S.I. Sara Mena de Correa |
Calle 57 por 46 Fidel Velázquez |
|
C.S.I. Francisco I. Madero |
Calle 35 por 32 Madero |
|
C.S.I. Manuel Crescencio Rejón |
Calle 25 por 24 y 24 A Manuel Crescencio Rejón |
|
C.S.I. Amapola |
Calle 105 No. 541 por 64 J y 66 Melitón Salazar |
|
C.S.I. Nora Quintana |
Calle 140 por 61 y 61 A Nora Quintana |
|
C.S.I. Pedregales de Lindavista |
Calle 44 por 19 Pedregales de Lindavista |
|
C.S.I. Salvador Alvarado Sur |
Calle 10 por 37 y 37 A Salvador Alvarado Sur |
|
C.S.I. San José Tecoh |
Calle 151 por 68 y 70 San José Tecoh |
|
C.S.I. Vergel III |
Calle 6 D por 21 B y 25 B Vergel III |
|
Ventanilla única México |
Calle 20 por 25 Col. México |
|
Biblioteca José Martí |
Calle 20 por Av. Colón García Ginerés |
|
Subdirección de Servicios Públicos Oriente |
Calle 63 por 6 y 8 Portes Gil |
|
Edificio Administrativo |
Av. 128 por 67 A y 67 B Yucalpetén |
|
Centenario |
Calle 59 por Av. Itzáes |
|
CIAVI |
Calle 50 por 71 San Cristóbal |
|
ADAY |
Calle 41 No. 563 por 82 y 82 A Centro |
The batteries collected at these locations will be properly disposed of in a national governmental center in Mina in the state of Nueva Leon. For more information, you can check out the government website (in Spanish) here.
Bravo, Mexico! Let's do more of this!
Comments
gfiedler 16 years ago
Help, where or does anyone recylcle in Merida? I hate to throw these things away!!! Please tell me where or what to do! I have a huge bag and don't know what to do with it? Suggestions anyone?????
Reply
rebma 17 years ago
is there really really no way to recycle plastic bottles? putting them in the bin causes me physical pain....
Reply
Denis Larsen 17 years ago
Jen Lytle,
The best way to dispose of dribs and drabs of paint either in the Yucatan or anywhere else is to let the paint dry in the can by removing the lid and just wai1ting for it to dry. All of the "bad" solvents will evaporate and then you can dispose of the paint can along with regular trash.
Denis
Reply
Jen Lytle 17 years ago
Now...what about paint cans with dribs and drabs of paint? xxxx thanks for the help with batteries.
Jen
Reply
Yucatan Living - Yucatan News: Seafood, Trucking & Water 17 years ago
[...] and it looks as if the situation is well in hand. Want to help improve the water quality here? Dispose of your batteries correctly, [...]
Reply
Ray 17 years ago
Electrical storage is affected by extremes, both hot and cold, so its not surprising that batteries do not have the same life span in Merida as they may have in a more temperate climate such as Seattle.
Reply
CasiYucateco 17 years ago
Does anyone else find that batteries do not last as long in the heat and humidity of Merida as elsewhere? Or is it just my imagination? Seems like my devices run down more and I have to recharge more frequently in Merida. Maybe it's just a big magnetic field in the meteor that sucks my cell phone and camera dry? (joking, but..?)
Maybe it is all in my head. Maybe I'm just more active in Merida than elsewhere too.
Just curious what anyone else thinks about that?
Reply
Denis Larsen 17 years ago
Good idea for the batteries, especially here in the Yucatan. When the bad stuff leaches out of the landfill here, the only place it can go is to the water-table that interconnects with all of the underground water in the Yucatan including, of course, the cenotes. And also including the source of the water that is many of the garrafones in which we receive our drinking and cooking water.
The state of Yucatan has a recycling program that includes plastic bottles. I believe it is pilot program since I have seen it in only one location... Chuburná Puerto, just west of Chelem and Progreso. A women's coop (somewhere between 20 and 30 women) has really cleaned up the town over the past few years... with the exception of plastic bags. The group collects and sells plastic bottles, plastic caps (including the blue ones from the garrafones), metal, cans and more. But I have no clue if they recycle batteries. I'll check the next time I am in Chuburná. The coop now has a plastic chipper that reduces plastic to poker chip-sized pieces. I have heard bags of these chips (plastic that cannot be recycled) are sold to China and burned for fuel.
That helps the Yucatan, but sure does not do much for the rest of the world
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