In an effort driven by Mayor Helene Schneider, the City of Santa Barbara donated a garbage truck this week to its sister city, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. On 5/14 Schneider presented the Santa Barbara/Puerto Vallarta Sister City Committee with a diesel trash compactor truck courtesy of local trash company MarBorg; a representative will travel south to teach its future operator how to work it. The compactor—which, in its current condition, is worth about $75,000—will reportedly help improve sanitation and recycling in Puerto Vallarta’s landfills. This is the second time since 2008 that Santa Barbara has sent a garbage truck to the city in Mexico’s Jalisco state.
