By Matt Smith and Mikelanne Northrup with Action for Environmental Justice

The US/Mexico border has come to be known as the "Third Zone", resembling neither the United States nor Mexico, but rather a culture and lifestyle unique to the land that straddles the 2,000-mile imaginary line. The Frontera, as it is known, has experienced skyrocketing population growth, and the consequences that come with it. Cities are bursting at the seams, and the infrastructure is not able to support the growing population. Cities without waste treatment plants are forced to pump human waste into canals and the Rio Grande. Cities without neighborhood trash services leave families with the options of burning or burying their trash, or possibly, throwing trash into a canal. These problems lead to much larger problems, such as rat infestation and disease. Citizens are promised the moon from local government officials, but when they are elected they face serious neglect. Communities rightly refuse to trust anyone in the handling of their crises.

Brownsville and Matamoros, sister cities on the border, have been hampered by these types of problems. The environmental degradation is astounding as US-owned maquiladoras, or manufacturing plants, ignore all environmental regulations. These companies dump their wastes, including chemicals, human waste, and other byproducts of the manufacturing process, into the river, canals, or landfills. NAFTA requires the US-owned factories to bring their wastes back to the states in order to protect the environment of land they work on. However, most companies pay no heed to this rule because it is cheaper and easier to dump locally, and the probability of punishment is almost nonexistent.

Since there is an inherent incentive for companies to dump locally, cities like Matamoros suffer. The canal water is a spectrum of colors, ROY G BIV. The landfills are in disastrous shape, not only littered with chemical waste, but also highly dangerous and sometimes deadly medical wastes. Amongst the medical waste are syringes, blood covered gauze, and bloodied bandages. However awful this place may seem to an outsider it is still considered to be a home to others. The pepenadores live in the landfill; their existence is one of recycling. Everyday pepenadores set fire to the landfill seeking valuable metals and other recyclable goods. These are families that live in the landfill. Many kids scavenge the landfill reaching into unknown piles of ooze, cutting themselves on sharp objects, risking infection, even death.

Matamoros’ problems are shared by Brownsville. When a giant pile of tires are burning in Matamoros the frequent southeasterly wind blows the smoke in the direction of Brownsville. When communicable diseases are a problem in Matamoros, it becomes a problem in Brownsville. Pollution knows no boundary and does not discriminate in who it affects. This is a binational problem that requires a binational solution. This is a clear example of environmental justice at the border and a consistent reminder that we only have one environment, and we all happen to share it. The environment includes the urban habitats, natural habitats, and even the pepenadores’ habitat.

ADELAS/The Border Campaign is working together with the citizens of the Colonia's Bermudas, Santa Maria, and Cambio neighborhoods located in a landfill in Matamoros, Mexico. The local government has decided to close the landfill, which has become a toxic haven over the past decades and has cast a negative image upon the city. The news is hard to swallow for those who live in the landfill, as it is their lifeblood. The trash that comes into the landfill is the means of support of the pepenadores, who recycle the valuable goods they find.

Now that the government of Matamoros has decided to close the landfill it will leave over 200 households jobless. The Border Campaign is working with Ingeniero José Magdaleno Rodriguez, the landfill director, and the communities living in the landfill, to formulate a plan pertaining to the future of the pepenadores. Our group is working to organize the communities and help them gain the skills, resources, and contacts necessary to create a viable recycling business. The main objective driving this is to come to a consensus with the community. Because the landfill is closing they will no longer be able to support themselves via the dump. What they need is to do is form a cooperative with the other communities of the landfill to create a business. We have an agreement from the government in Matamoros that would send three to five trucks of trash containing recyclables to the landfill a day, and as the organizational capacity of the community develops the city will provide more trucks. This project is the first step in a regional plan. The goal of the project: this community will become the catalyst for waste management separation in the greater Rio Grande Valley.

The University of Wisconsin offers a four-week service learning course, known as Crossing Borders, that examines the major concerns regarding social justice, environmental protection and health of Matamoros and Brownsville. It is through this experience that several members of the campus group Action for Environmental Justice have felt compelled to act. We are currently organizing a school supply drive for the children of Matamoros, as families are required to purchase all necessary books, uniforms and supplies, as well as provide their own transportation to and from school. Those who wish to attend school beyond the sixth grade are required to pay teachers up to $5 a week. All this is required on an income far below a sustainable living wage. The pepenadores can receive approximately 80 cents US for the two pounds of salvaged copper, and 8 cents for two pounds of bone. Their daily wage, used to support their family, depends on how much trash they pick. Those in the maquiladoras average about 6 US dollars per day, with some making less than $4. According to a recent study done in Matamoros, a family of four requires about three times that amount to provide for its basic needs.

We are currently accepting donations of school supplies to send to children living in Matamoros. Requested supplies include:

o Notebooks and notebook paper
o Writing utensils (Pens/pencils)
o Folders
o Rulers
o Protractors
o Compasses (mathematic)
o Bookbags

If you would like to get involved in our drive or to donate, or are interested in environmental justice issues such as this one, please contact Action for Environmental Justice at

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