Environmental Justice Issues Surrounding the Garbage Crisis in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Topic

I am researching garbage disposal in Oaxaca because I am interested in the environment and public health. There is a major environmental justice issue surrounding the methods of garbage disposal in and outside of the city. I have noticed many interesting things about pollution in Oaxaca, and in the villages surrounding the city. In the United States, there is a direct correlation between poverty, race, and health issues. Many low-income, minority communities live in places that are heavily polluted by factories, agricultural chemicals, and major corporations. Poorer people have less leverage in these arguments for their health, and therefore, many of these people are suffering from pollution-related health issues. I am interested in finding out if the same trend applies here in Oaxaca. The way that garbage is treated in Oaxaca directly affects the environment, which in turn affects the health of those living in close proximity to the garbage dumps. I am interested in finding out how much people living close to the "basureros" or dumps know about the effects that this type of pollution has on their health. I want to find out what certain communities, such as the towns of Zaachila and Ocotlan, have done to stand up for their rights to healthy, unpolluted land. 

Research Statement and Question

I am investigating garbage disposal in Oaxaca and its relationship to public health issues in order to expand my understanding of how communities are responding to these universal issues. 

What are Oaxacan communities doing to address public health issues caused by environmental pollution?

A conversation with my host dad, Ricardo

One morning, at breakfast, I asked my host father what he had heard about garbage in Oaxaca. He also told me about the village that blocks off access to the dump. He said that trash will build up in the city when this happens, and the authorities have to try to make a deal or compromise with the village in order for them to open up access. He also mentioned that when people living in the city want their trash to go elsewhere, they don’t generally think of the effects it has on other people. He said that the dumps will keep moving from place to place, but they always end up having a negative effect on a new community. From what I have learned so far, it seems as though some of these communities are doing something or trying to do something about their situation.

Street Interviews in Ocotlan

One research technique that has helped me so far on my independent project are personal interviews. I did some background research and found that the dump in Zaachila is full, and the government has been trying to move the dump for a few years now. In 2010, there was a proposal to move the dump to Ocotlan, in a natural area next to an important water source for the town. This story was one of success, as the community coordinated together and resisted the government through a series of demonstrations. I went to Ocotlan during a market day and interviewed three vendors. This is the information that I got: 

Interview #1: The first woman I interviewed spoke passionately against the "basurero" (dump). She was aware of the environmental effects that it would have on the community of Ocotlan. She mentioned pollution of local water sources, and deforestation of natural lands to make room for the dump. She was also aware of the negative health effects that the installation of this dump would have. She talked about the high rates of cancer that would be seen, and the disease that the adults could get. She also stressed the harm that this new dump could do to small children. This woman told me that the majority of people in Ocotlan are educated about the effects the dump could have, and that most of them feel similarly about the subject. This collective knowledge about the effects of the dump has allowed this community to successfully resist against the imposition of the new dump by the government. 

Interview #2: The second person I interviewed was a man at an icecream stand. He seemed proud of his town's effort to resist the basurero. He mentioned that the dump in Zaachila has been full for years, so they proposed to put the new on in Ocotlan. This new dump would be placed in a known natural and beautiful area. He said the people were very against this. I asked him if he thought they knew about the health effects, and he said those that do teach their friends and family about it, so they can all become educated. He told me about the day they all got together to do the protest. Everyone gathered in the town centro and chanted and protested. They would not back down and this is why they were such a success.

Interview #3: The third man I interviewed was selling rugs at the market in Ocotlan, but was actually from Teotitlan. He seemed to know a lot about the garbage issue even though he wasn't from Ocotlan himself. He recognized that there is a major crisis happening with garbage disposal in Oaxaca. He said he knew some people from Zaachila with health problems, that they attribute to the garbage dump. He says that they feel frustrated, and like they don't have a choice to lead a healthy lifestyle when the dump still leeches chemicals into their homes and water sources. Since he was not from Ocotlan, he did not have the same pride in the town. He knew that they had resisted the dump, but it meant something different to him. Their resistance means that the dump will have to be moved somewhere else, to a community that is less strong and skilled at demonstrating and protesting. He worries that his town could be next, and wonders how the trash crisis will ever improve. 

Supporting Background Information

For this project, I did much of my background research on the internet. I looked for newspaper stories about the garbage crisis in Oaxaca, and found a dissertation done by a graduate student on this exact topic. There is also a book I found on google books called "Environmental Justice in Latin America." This book highlights Oaxaca city in a case study about environmental problems as they relate to social status and inequality. In the beginning of this book, a few things were made clear:

- "There is limited data available for testing the relationship between ethnicity or social class and exposure to environmental risk."

- Available data is often not reliable in areas with a high rate of industrialization because they often have a mobile immigrant population. 

- Specifically, in areas of high production for export, government enforcement of hazardous waste is very minimal, and any surveillance is sketchy at least. 

- Another main challenge is the lack of interest, funding for research, and activism that surrounds environmental justice. 

- "Environmental Justice in Latin America will not share the hypotheses, assumptions, images, or political ramifications that would be most most familiar to U.S. activists and analysts."

- "Indigenous people face some of the most egregious environmental (and social) inequities in Latin America."

- "Indigenous rights have been a powerful catalyst to mobilization throughout the region as native communities battle the forces that threaten to fragment them, displace them, and drive them toward cultural disintegration."

After reading the first few introduction chapters of this book, I was glad to see that environmental justice does exist in Mexico, although it may be defined differently depending on the cultural context. This was encouraging to me in my pursuit of knowledge for this project, and I continued to research and read more about specific cases of environmental justice in Oaxaca. 

Research Plan

Read the full dissertation before February 10.

Research news articles about Zaachila basurero and Ocotlan before February 25.

Meet with Aerin for further guidance on project and names of contacts on March 5th.

Interview as many street vendors in Ocotlan as possible on March 22nd. 

Interview people at the Zaachila market on March 30th. 

Compile information and begin to make conclusion that will help with presentation by April 6th.

Reflection

Honestly, in the beginning of this trip, I was so confused about what I wanted to do. I had an idea, but I really couldn't figure out how to go about it. The first half of the project was me still trying to zero in on exactly what i wanted to study and how I wanted to portray it. I wish I had honed in on specifics earlier on in the process, because that would have given me more time to research and interview. Throughout this project, my spanish improved so much, as did my confidence speaking to random people. What I found was somewhat disheartening, but I learned that in any non-biased research project, you are bound to find things that upset you, make you unhappy, or are against your beliefs. I was upset by the lack of power among strong communities in Oaxaca. The government has complete and total control over the location of trash dumps in and around the city. This means they decide the health of others, without any say of the affected communities. This disheartening news made me upset but I was soon inspired by the community of Ocotlan who got together, protested, and resisted the government. I was happy to hear this news, and decided to refocus my project to be more about environmental justice than health effects, although they are all intertwined. I wish I had put some more time into the project, because it was truly interesting to me, but don't think it could have been possible with the packed food systems schedule and my need for sleep. At any rate, I believe that I should receive a 10 for this project, because it really did turn out great. I love how the game turned out, and loved seeing our group work together laughing and having fun. We ended the presentation with a circle type discussion focused on what others had learned from the game. I thought it was educational and fun! I hope everyone else enjoyed it too!

Sources Cites

Carruthers, David V. Environmental Justice in Latin America: Problems, Promise, and Practice. Cambridge, MA: MIT, 2008. Print.

Moore, Sarah Anne, "THE POLITICS OF GARBAGE: MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE IN OAXACA, MEXICO" (2006). Masters Theses. Paper 288.
http://uknowledge.uky.edu/gradschool_theses/288

Street interviews in Ocotlan

Vendors in Zaachila