AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums The Cayes Environment The only cure for litter is YOU!

Garbage on the sides of the road leading to the dump site.

Mayor Daniel Guerrero and the San Pedro Town Council have been battling the littering issue for quite some time now but it seems that it is still a problem. It is really sad to see that people are throwing garbage on private properties and on the streets.

We should all realize that this little piece of paradise is our HOME, and we should ALL take care of it and always maintain it clean.

We are asking for every one to be more aware of your surroundings. Let us all make an effort to make this place a better place for all - residents and visitors.

If you see people dumping garbage on a private property or on the streets, please call the San Pedro Town Council office at 226-2936 and report it. LITTERING IS A CRIME!

THE ONLY CURE FOR LITTER IS YOU.
LET US ALL HELP KEEP LA ISLA BONITA CLEAN!

Click HERE for 15 photos

San Pedro Town Council

Over 70% of shoreline trash comes in with the tides from cruise ships on the out lying Cayes etc etc, True Belizeans seem prompted to just throw it in the water and it will go away, but the big picture lays elsewhere.

I'd like to see the supporting evidence of that cruise ship statement. Quite honestly given my own observations I think much of this is from the mainland and our own hands. THis is not a personal affront Cooper,I admire your love of Belize and your tenacity but I just dont buy into the cruise ship theory as being the major source given the times of year its at its worst and the types of material involved. Apologies in advance from an art admirer.

OH boy, let me look in my archives from last year when all the shredded trash came to Caye Caulker, it went out from shore about 50 yds. and all across the split. Yes it may be from the mainland,but not this last one I am talking about, but the shore trash is not from the island, then our trash could be going to the mainland. I see to many people throwing trash in the water. Belizeans havnt got a clue yet on the big picture of trash, The children still throw their candy wrappers and such on the ground in the water, until the parents teach the children it will not change. The trash that line our island on the reef side cant come in with the tides from the mainland. Thats where most the trash is after every tide.

//ambergriscaye.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/473478/Searchpage/3/Main/59607/Words/trash/Search/true/Re:_Island_Of_Garbage_Washes_O.html#Post473478

You may have to copy and paste the above, we need to change but other forces are at hand.

So that worked for me, I copied and pasted the link in search engine. One more thing, some years ago when we started charging folks to dump trash in our dump things got worse. Go figure.

Just look at the labels on the washed up trash and you know its not from cruise ships.

I agree it's not from cruise ships. Oh, maybe a little, but these are big, successful, profitable international companies that don't want to lose their shipping and port privileges, or to get more bad PR, when there are other ways to contain and dispose of trash and garbage.

Some of the beach trash that is all over the coast and cayes of Belize from north to south may come from Belize, but I suspect most of it comes from other countries in Central America and from Mexico and for that matter from all over the world. There are huge masses of garbage and plastic in oceans all over the world -- for example Google the Great Pacific Garbage Patch -- that are moved by ocean currents.

Most tourists of course don't care where the garbage comes from. All they want is to see clean, beautiful beaches and seashore.

It's not a problem just for Caulker or Ambergris. For years and years the #1 complaint by visitors in Hopkins and Placencia has been the garbage on the beaches.

For as long as I've been traveling in Belize, almost 25 years, long before the cruise ships started coming to Belize, the beaches at hotels and most private homes in Belize were kept clean but vacant lots or anywhere on the shore not constantly policed and cleaned up was full of garbage and debris washed ashore.

Most from Guate and Honduras, esp after heavy rains flush out garbage from rivers, mainly affecting PG, Placencia and Hopkins. And we believe there has to be a garbage barge who dump in the sea. And we have to take responsibility for our own littering, which we are quite good at and even better at not noticing.