The fires at the landfill in the city of Mérida are not the only problem; the landfill also affects the people who live nearby on a daily basis, because not only do they constantly smell the stench, but they also find insects and rodents in their homes.
Ingrith León, representative of Cero Basura Yucatán and resident of an area near the landfill, explained that the site has been operating there for 26 years, “less than one kilometer from where there are human settlements”.
Since 2012, part of the landfill reached its maximum capacity and so they expanded it; he also recalled that through the State Program for the Prevention and Integral Management of Waste (gob.mx/cms/uploads/attachment/file/187447/Yucatan.pdf) they agreed a few months ago that this same site would receive waste from six more municipalities.
“About a month ago, they informed that by March the waste they receive there would be separated for recycling or to make pellets that would be sent to Europe to be used as fuel”, Ingrith León continued.
“But while that is happening, there have been effects, not only in terms of dangerous fires […] but the same people who live in the areas closest to the landfill have commented on certain negative health effects”.
“Fires in landfills can be superficial or profound, the first occurs due to external sources -weather, winds, temperature- or internal -human errors committed by people working on the landfill”, Ingrith León added.
The lack of garbage separation increases the problem; specifically, methane gas is one of the pollutants present in the landfill, together with the leachates produced by the concentration of garbage”, she stated.
This same situation, in addition to the fires, causes problems such as foul odors in nearby homes, as well as the presence of cockroaches and other insects. In addition, the fires also cause respiratory deseases.
In the city there is no study regarding the effects caused in the environment or on people’s health by the fires that have occurred in the landfill, she stated; however, the activist declared that the type of waste that is set on fire can change the effects, since there are some materials that generate many toxins, such as batteries.
For this reason, she emphasized the importance of separating the garbage, especially those wastes that are more toxic, but in general, she made the invitation to carry out this separation and take it to the collection points; besides this, she suggested: “the recovery of materials and the change in certain consumption habits, to reduce a certain type of materials such as plastics“.
Finally, Ingrith León concluded by saying that it is necessary for the city council and the company that manages the landfill to know the causes of the fires to determine the actions to be taken.
TYT Newsroom
