San Pancho Recycles, Giving The Riviera Nayarit “Tons” Of Help
- These are activities that strengthen the cultural tourism of the area: every year they recycle 120 tons of glass, as well as plastic, cardboard and metal; plus, they’ve already built 7 Recicla Parques (Recycle Parks) in different communities.
Among the many reasons why the community of San Pancho is considered the Riviera Nayarit’s Culture Capital are Recicla San Pancho, Recicla Shop and Imaginarte, part of the Centro Cultural Entre Amigos A.C. (Among Friends Cultural Center), not to mention the fact that its contribution to the environment serves to strengthen cultural tourism to the region.
Since 2008, the community has been collecting, classifying, separating and processing recyclables such as glass, plastic, paper, cardboard and metal. Currently they are recycling 120 tons of glass per year.
The recycling center, Recicla San Pancho, is a pioneer both in Nayarit and the western part of the country. It all began as a federal temp employment program for women and today it’s one of the many tourist attractions offered by San Pancho.
“Everything salvaged is being reused from the recycling program; everything produced is from this and other communities’ refuse,” explained Indira Santos, Environmental Coordinator for Entre Amigos.
The various products created by the different processes arrive at the Recicla Shop and Imaginarte (store and gallery), where they are sold to the public at a reasonable price. Besides what they make, the store also collects donations of utensils, clothing, movies and other home goods that can be reused and makes them available to the community.
“This is a way to involve the people in the community, to teach them and give them the tools to be productive; the people benefit as does the community center. The earnings go to educational and environmental programs,” she added.
Another project that has born fruit in favor of environmental conservation and cultural tourism is the Recicla Parques (Recycle Parks). Students, most of them trained by the Entre Amigos personnel to transform “trash” into recreational areas, built the parks.
There are currently seven Recicla Parques located in different communities within the Riviera Nayarit, including Punta Mita, Higuera Blanca, Sayulita, La Cruz de Huanacaxtle and San Pedro, to name just a few.
Photo courtesy of Entre Amigos A.C.
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