The strangest thing happened today. I was having this discussion with Erwin a little before noon. Nothing uncommon in this, we are cubicle neighbors and collaborate throughout the day. Today’s conversation was about how I was exposed to so much recycling when I was in New Zealand and Australia. On Guam nobody recycles; there is no waste disposal/recycling program, so all the trash goes into the Ordot Dump. It is simply to expensive to recycle glass, metal, paper and plastic on island, or at least that is the excuse given to the public. But in New Zealand, all the trash was broken down – bottles, paper, plastic, metal – everything was part of a recycling effort. A far cry from our dirty little island.
Then I mentioned that some recycling exists on Guam. The stalled incinerator project calls for a waste management policy that includes recycling, and there is that tire recycling company in Barrigada.
“You mean that one that caught on fire a few months ago?” Erwin asked.
“Yeah,” I replied and turned to look out the window. “Fuck me! Look, it’s on fire again!”
Sure enough, thick black clouds were rising from behind the airport, towards Barrigada. I took a photo at about 13:00, after I returned from lunch. By then the fire crews were trying to contain the fire, so the huge black cloud was more gray from the dousing. Still it looks impressive.

I swear, it happened exactly like that. I guess we jinxed the place. I can’t imagine they will stay open now. This is their second massive fire in under 5 months.