More than 20,000 plastic lids of all sizes have been collected so far in Puerto Peñasco as part of the campaign “Tapas para Sanar” (Tops to Heal), promoted by Alma Yanes, Deputy Director of Ecology and Sustainable Development. The goal of the collection is to help support chemotherapy treatments for children with cancer, which is also an ongoing program of the Colombian non-profit organization SANAR.
The campaign, which began in Puerto Peñasco more than a month ago, will wrap up October 31st with sights set on collecting as many plastic tops as possible from soda bottles, juice containers, jars (i.e. mayonnaise, etc.), and even tops from water jugs (garrafones). These tops will be delivered to volunteers from ISSTESON (Security and Health Services for State Employees) who have been able to obtain one child chemotherapy treatment for every 1000 tops collected.
Alma Yanes, local campaign promoter, noted in just one month they were able to collect more than 20,000 tops at collection sites including: elementary and secondary schools, Community Centers in Colonia San Rafael, Nueva Esperanza and Obrera, as well as at the Library, Casa de Cultura, the Municipal DIF, and at the Ecology office itself located on the back side of City Hall.
The collected tops will then picked be up by a recycling company, with resources going directly to institutions that provide chemotherapy treatments – in this case for children struggling with cancer.
Currently there are no children in Puerto Peñasco in need of chemotherapy, though if such a case exists they are encouraged to visit the Ecology Offices to learn more about the “Tapas para Sanar” program.
So, before tossing your soda bottle or empty jar, all are asked to hold on to your top and drop these off at any of the collection sites mentioned above. Plus, although this particular local campaign will wrap up at the end of October, you can always continue holding on to those tops in order to help more children.