Your trash destination

By Manuel espinoza, Luis Olivares and Stepany Sánchez. Photos by the authors.

NEAR PIURA CITY, Peru – Where do Piura Metro Area’s solid residues go to?In normal conditions, 20 km away the East, counted from downtown. On June 21^st, 2016 , we could visit our landfill with our teacher in order to realize the reality we live with. Solid residues we generate go to a one-square-kilometer lot , which 88% is already full. In consequence, 12% is still free.

About 450 tons of our garbage get here daily, which 40% comes from Piura District, 20% from Catacaos District, 20% from 26 de Octubre (pronounce “Veinteesais deh Octoohbreh”) District and 20% remaining from Castilla (pronounce “Casteejah”) District . Our landfill has four cells for solid residues and one for hospital residues, that has not be open yet.

This cell in particular was created three years ago. It has a hearth for eliminating gases and pipes for evacuating leached. It is four meters depth and five meters height. About solid residues cells, the first one was already closed ten years ago. It is about ten meters depth. A hearth on it allows to eliminate gases like methane, so an explosion is prevented.

To avoid those ones and leached mix with underground and pollute it, the cell is isolated by a geomembrane. Who manage the landfill assured us that there is no pollution produced from here, especially to nearby crop fields. Another aspect of landfill are recyclers who work their way, helping to trash classification. So, now that you know where all your solid garbage goes to. Have you wondered what we can do about this?

Advised by engineer Juan Alargón, as part of Introduction to Environmental Technique subject at National University of Piura’s High Technologic School. Send us your stories at factortierra@gmail.com.