Transforming Tulum: How One Organization Is Revolutionizing Waste Management

Tulum Sostenible is an organization dedicated to managing excess waste in Tulum, a popular tourist destination in Mexico. The organization has set up 12 structures known as "Puntos Limpios", part of an extensive environmental education project aimed at addressing the municipality's waste problem.

Despite Tulum's popularity, the city has a significant waste issue, with trash overflowing in the streets and small dumps appearing on sidewalks, corners, and vacant land. These dumps can harm local wildlife and detract from the city's appeal.

To combat this issue, Tulum Sostenible S.C. launched an Environmental Culture and Waste Management program. This initiative focuses on collecting the most commonly produced materials in the city.

The Puntos Limpios are waste collection stations designed for special handling, allowing collected materials to be treated and returned to the value chain for reuse. These stations are located in 12 districts across the city and have successfully collected over 80 tons of recyclable materials. This effort prevents waste from ending up in the streets, sea, and other bodies of water. The stations are equipped to handle seven different types of inorganic waste, including PET plastic, HDPE, Tetrapack, aluminum, metal, cardboard, and paper.

A crucial part of this program's success is environmental education. Through workshops, the public learns how to use the stations effectively and understand which recyclable materials should be taken to the Puntos Limpios. This initiative encourages active citizen participation in proper waste management.

Tulum Sostenible has also introduced the program to public elementary schools in the municipality. Modules for collecting recyclable materials are installed in schools, and students are encouraged to bring recyclable materials from home. This initiative has significantly increased students' environmental awareness and has contributed to reducing material use and implementing appropriate waste management.

By 2025, Tulum Sostenible plans to implement a second year of Puntos Limpios in the municipality's schools. To fund this project, they have launched a fundraising campaign on the GoFundMe platform titled "Chaos of waste in Tulum destroys its biodiversity. Join us!" The campaign aims to raise funds to continue waste recovery operations in schools.

If you want to support Tulum Sostenible and help keep the education and waste management program in schools for another year, you can donate through the GoFundMe platform. The funds raised will go towards the school program conducted in all of the public schools in Tulum's municipal capital.

For more details on how to support Tulum Sostenible, you can visit the GoFundMe platform to make your donation.