AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums The Cayes Ambergris Caye Plastic Recycling Program

Do they pay a bounty? That's the way to make it work well..and encourage people to clean up the beach and streets....as with Belikin bottles

Put a deposit on the plastic just like the bottles. In the states the plastic bottles is crushed and reused even when the state has a deposit law.

I believe the street containers and the van picking up from them like the garbage collection route is the larges reason the streets and neighborhoods don't have plastic litter in Utila.
It seemed every where there was a garbage can there was also a container to throw plastic in and the plastic collection truck came buy on the same day.
Houses put out their garbage on collection day and right beside it would be the plastic bin.
The guy's name that runs the program is Albert (photo above) he said most plastic came from the restaurants and hotels and second was the street collection then third was the individuals collecting for money. Albert operated the compactor , banded the bundles and ran the collection route.
He said the worst part of his job was fools that don't know a disposal baby diaper from a plastic bottle ;-)

The Baler that is pictured is about $5000-$10000 used. Utilizes a 5-10hp motor. You have to band the material yourself.

https://www.recyclingequipment.com/balers/130-new-used-vertical-balers-downstroke-balers-for-sale

Elbert this is a great idea. I assume there is not a recycling place in SP?

True, but wouldn't it be nice.

I looked into the plastic recycling/reprocessing business for a while and determined that once we pick up all the plastic that litters the streets, roadsides, beaches, etc. there would not be enough used plastic available to support such a business. There just aren't enough people in Belize to sustain the used plastic input necessary to keep such an operation viable even if the plastic was simply washed, chopped, and shipped somewhere.
A deposit on plastic could be used to collect and ship the plastic to other countries but probably wouldn't be self-supporting either.

There is a lady near Marina's who collects plastic bottles. She works very hard. You may see her on the road sometimes with a big sack on her back. We deliver our plastics to her in bags once a month. I feel so much better knowing that our plastics no longer go to the dump.

Where does she take them?

I believe she takes them to Bowen & Bowen. A very nice lady, but doesn't speak any English. I heard about her here. Inspiring recycle lady