Wake Up and Smell The Plastic - It’s Time To Stop Burning Garbage
 Ed Schwartz - PVNN
January 26, 2010
Something I didn’t realize when we bought a house in Sayulita; that burning garbage is some kind of rite (or right). Or, maybe it’s just a hobby. Now that we have garbage collection, you'd think this burning basura business might have stopped, but, no, it seems to have proliferated, i.e., become worse, and the burning happens to also burn my butt.
From our house, the smoke comes from three sides. A lot of it is plastic, so I can see the stuff floating into our palapa and heading up my nostrils and down my lungs. What doesn’t go into my lungs goes on my head, the floor, the furniture and the stove. In addition to plastic, a lot of it is garbage and some of it is underbrush. Interestingly, my neighbors burn the garbage not on their lots, but the empty lots next door to them. It seems a touch ironic.
While the long term effects on my lungs may not be known, the falling stuff does affect my current life. First, it affects my ability to frame my artwork. As soon as I clean one side of the glass, stuff is falling. I clean one side and the other side has tiny white bits of debris. Yes, I know, someone will tell me that burning garbage is just the way it is and that I should get used to it. But, it is not good for anyone to breathe this white crap. It’s not good for the burners, the victims and the animals that have to inhale it.
The other thing is worse. The white crap, also known as pollution, falls into my computer keyboard and, all of a sudden, one letter starts repeating across my screen, whizzing by. So, I have to take my keyboard and hit it on my lap a few times and watch the white crap fall out. This inhibits my ability to write.
Some might say that inhibiting my ability to write is a good thing. That’s a matter of opinion. What does matter is that there is no reason to burn garbage, so pass the word around that burning garbage stinks. The name of this town is Sayulita, not Smellyourlitter. Dig it?
 Sayulita resident Ed Schwartz has been involved in many aspects of fine wine for 30 years and has worked with top wineries in California, Italy and France. His writings on wine, food and travel have appeared in the SF Chronicle, LA Times and Image magazine.
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