#trash dumping

[johnschneiderblog]

Dumping ground

Who are these people who see the whole world as their personal landfill ... ?

I spotted this abomination Friday on what is otherwise a pleasant stretch of Sandhill Road, not far from our house.

I would love to know what goes through the mind of a person as he pulls onto the shoulder of a random stretch of country road and unloads an old couch into the bushes.

I realize that in the realm of criminal activity, trash-dumping is not among the worst offenses, but it sure makes my blood boil.

[mefryar2012-blog]

The basic message of both is signs is to equate trash dumping with being a pig. The photo on top, from the market in Esquipuals, simply has a photo of pigs with "Don't dump trash" written beneath. The photo on the bottom says "Don't be a... take care of our Chiquimula." 

Trash dumping is a serious issue throughout Guatemala. In urban areas it is worsened by the lack of public trash cans. In rural areas, the problem is often worse with trash frequently dumped by the side of the road. 

Behavior change is difficult but these public campaigns are an encouraging first step.