Recycling in Puerto Rico

Islands would seem like fertile ground for recycling, given the limited space for landfills, but not so in Puerto Rico. After two days in San Juan, I finally encountered a recycling receptacle, at a bohemian cafe near the art museum. A number of things are being done right in this low-cost configuration. The recycling container is paired with a trash can, and the wide top on the blue recycling receptacle has been covered with a piece of cardboard with a small hole cut in the top, to better insure that only cans will be put there. "Latas" means cans, and a picture of a can is added for those too distracted to read the label.

Another receptacle was found on the university grounds. This looks like an end-of-the-semester hail mary that makes you understand why some custodians give up and throw it all in the trash.

On the island of Culebra, off the east coast of Puerto Rico, this reasonably organized recycling dropoff center stood at the edge of a residential street.

Whether intentional or not, the receptacle is strategically placed at the bottom of two steep streets, where discarded cans and bottles naturally accumulate after getting washed downhill along the curb.

With another receptacle seen at the ferry station, that makes a grand total of four receptacles seen over the course of a week. Given all the unemployment, and the potential value of cans and bottles for reuse, you'd think there could be some sort of win-win lurking amidst the trash.