An inordinate amount of
trash has floated into Placencia beaches, and that more is
still coming.

They have pictures documenting the incredible buildup that
were taken on Sunday morning, 22 October 2006, just north
of Placencia Point.

Mary picked up three large trash bags full of trash in an
area of about 1 square yard, and still did not even begin
to dint the garbage in that area - and was able to even get
down to the sand.

Labels on the trash are in Spanish, and the trash mostly
consists of plastics - bottles, bottle caps, toothbrushes,
small toys, crates, dishware, shoes, bins, etc., plus
hypodermic syringes (some still with needles in them), rope
and pieces of wood.

The trash often smells bad - not like dead fish, but like
something alive that is decomposing, Mary says.

Perhaps this is an example of what happens when trash
disposal facilities are inadequate for the amount of
development in a locality.

So where is this health hazzard originating from?
Guatemala, Honduras, or Cruise Ships?

It has been washing up on the beaches on and off for months now in PG as well. Local gossip here it is Guat garbage not taken far enough out to see to be dumped. It is a huge mess. Nice new hotel here in PG just opened this year right on the sea, and what small beach there is covered in garbage quite often.

The question being begged here is WHY ARE THE GUATEMALANS DUMPING THEIR DAMNED GARBAGE IN THE SEA TO BEGIN WITH?

Nasty nasty nasty!!!

We are getting quite a bit of the trash on AC also - not as bad as Placencia and PG, but not pretty.

--"The question being begged here is WHY ARE THE GUATEMALANS DUMPING THEIR DAMNED GARBAGE IN THE SEA TO BEGIN WITH?"
...maybe because they ran out of room on their roadsides.

Pictures of the trash on the Placencia beaches can be found at
http://www.destinationsbelize.com/beach_trash_oct_06.htm

The trash starts at the point and goes all the way up to Nautical Inn and
Blue Crab at the northern end of Seine Bight.

Unfortunately that link doesn't work, Marty. I told Mary but she hasn't responded.

remove the period at the end

http://www.destinationsbelize.com/beach_trash_oct_06.htm


terrible..........

Nice catch KLC

Since the Gual's can't shoot at Belize they figure trash will have the same result.

Sure looks bad and I can only guess where it goes when the wind changes. Guess Barb and i won't have any problem trying to find something to help pick up...

Oh dear!

Dang that's NASTY! Geeze, what can be done to stop it?
Hi ya Mark, good to see you again on board, how goes it mon?

that's awful... especially for the ppl who live in that area and have to put up wit that on a daily bases!! hopefully they find the source and are able to fix this problem!!!

They had a similar problem in PG not too long ago. I'll bet it is the same source. Surely, based on papers etc. foundin the trash and studies of the wave/wind patterns it wouldn't be too hard to figure out where it is comign from.

Not so easy...most trash seems to be coming from China.

Maybe they can build a wall all around the border. That's a real practical idea they are kicking around here.

Hi Denver...yup its time to visit again!!
Folks believe or not it's leagal to dump 12 miles off USA by international rules.

Take a boat ride on a calm day from PG to Livingston and you can follow the trash trail all the way back to Guatamala.

Sorry, change that to Placencia to Livingston. You need to be offshore of PG to catch the current from Guat.

Perhaps the trash may be from other areas of the Caribbean seeing the prevailing winds come out of the east (north east). I see the same type of trash washing up from Tulum to PG.

(Cuba, DR, Haiti)

SIN

True but the stuff I'm talking about you can see coming out of Rio Dulce when you hit Livingston. The prevailing current takes it right up the coast.

What a shame. The same area where folks squat out on Belize's southern cayes and fish out the POH reserve.

You got it.

Garbage Ghosts Haunting Belize City?


Garbage, garbage everywhere…that's what it's been like in the city all this week. And while residents of this city by the sea don't expect the city to be pristine, most agree that this is really a bit much. Today Mayor Zenaida Moya explained that City Hall is not blind to the problem and are addressing it, however slowly. And while she says that CITCO is trying to alleviate the problem she is blaming the pileup of garbage to a greater conspiracy, call it the garbage ghosts.

Zenaida Moya, Mayor of Belize City
"I don't want to be a conspiracy theorist in any way, I won't say it is definitive, but what I can say is you know all of a sudden we see huge piling of garbage in particular areas. Now you tell me, would all the residents on one street just come together and say they are going to bring their garbage and take it to one location, I don't think so. But that is what we are seeing. All of a sudden we are seeing a whole lump sum of garage in one area. There must be some persons who are being asked or told and given whatever it is to go and pile up these garbage in one area. We are very concerned that it is being done intentionally."

Alfonso Noble,
Even the yellow and the green bags are not being picked up. Those are lining the streets now.

Zenaida Moya,
"Well that is what we spoke to Waste Control about and what they told us is that they are supposed to be picking garbage from the area. They may be picking up garbage early in the morning but the sanitation companies, SEL and BML, they will continue to clean the streets and pick up garbage. We are happy. All residents are happy about that. So the garbage accumulates. The council through the sanitation manager will ensure that the schedule is fully harmonized with Belize Waste Control. So both SEL and BML, the companies that actually collect the garbage, and then Waste Control, who actually take away the garbage, that they will be harmonized."

Moya says that meetings will be held with the Belize Waste Control to put in additional trucks to pickup garbage on Saturdays and Sundays as well as employing City Council resources to help speed up the collection of garbage.

Is this a Guatemalan response to not being voted into the UN Security Council???

Hmmmm!