Yesterday UFO Productions (the land use group) spent the morning observing land tortoises. In the afternoon, we visited the recycling center and landfill on Santa Cruz.
Our first impression was that the recycling center was well organized and efficient. Two puppies accompanied us as we explored the facility. The landfill, however, was another story. We drove through a wall of smoke to the center of the burning trash. Plastics, glass, metal, and all other unwanted materials were releasing their harsh chemicals into the island air. We only stayed for a short time, as the fumes were overwhelming and flies covered our equipment and ourselves. Unfortunately, a lot of items in the landfill could have been recycled. Also, there was no supervision - people just drive up, dump their waste, and leave.
Another day, another trash pile.
