On Saturday, October 4, 2014, through the coordination efforts of the Scout Association of Belize, Oceana Belize, Rotaract Clubs, environmental clubs and organizations across the country, hundreds of volunteers took to the beach, riverbanks, canals and lagoons to collect and remove garbage and other forms of debris from Belize's waterways.

In San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Hol Chan Marine Reserve teamed up with students of San Pedro High School with the assistance of Elito Arceo of Seaduced by Belize to cleanup the waterway from the Hol Chan dock in the lagoon area all the way to the Boca Del Rio. Lots of garbage that included household items such as standing fans and even refrigerators were removed from the water and mangrove areas.

Click here to read the rest of the article and see more photos in the Ambergris Today



Garbage fished from the sea for International Cleanup Campaign

While the total tally of the amount of garbage recovered from the coastal areas has not been calculated, the amount of garbage recovered paints a sad environmental problem. Humans continue to dump garbage in our planet's water sources, thus contributing to the deterioration and pollution of the marine ecosystem. Often, hundreds of living things, reptiles, birds and fish associate the garbage as a food source, eventually ingesting the objects and dying due to the toxic components of the garbage.

The event highlights the point that more effort is needed to stop humans from dumping garbage, especially into the water sources. It is designed to help build awareness to dispose of garbage the right way. The garbage that was collected was taken to the municipal dump for proper disposal. The organizers would like to thank the organizations and residents that assisted in making the event successful.

Click here to read the rest of the article and see more photos in the San Pedro Sun