Residents are encouraged to start the sorting of garbage
Residents on Ambergris Caye are being encouraged to begin the sorting of garbage ahead of the implementation of the national Solid Waste Management Project (SWMP) of which Ambergris Caye is a part of. The announcement was made by the San Pedro Town Council (SPTC) via a press release last week. The sorting of garbage at this point is aimed to have the residents trained in garbage classification, which will be required when the SWMP comes into full effect.
Speaking to Kenrick Brackett, San Pedro Town Councilor responsible for Waste Management and Sanitation on the island, he said that residents are being asked to sort out garbage into two main groups, biodegradable and non-biodegradable. "We want the residents to classify the garbage and bag them into biodegradable and non-biodegradable. How this will work is that we are asking them to use red ribbons or an old piece of red cloth for non-biodegradable and a green ribbon or old green cloth for the biodegradable garbage," said Brackett. The classification of the garbage into two separate groups said Brackett will "teach residents from now and [will be] practice for when the projects kicks in."
Biodegradable waste is considered anything that will eventually break down and become part of the earth and soil, like food scraps and paper. Non-biodegradable waste will NOT break down (or won't for many, many years). Examples are plastics, metal and glass. Some dangerous chemicals and toxins are also non-biodegradable. Plastic grocery bags, Styrofoam (polystyrene) and other similar materials will eventually break down over (a very long) time.
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