Ok I will put my 2 penneth worth in and there are a few different things i see with Garbage
1.) After living on the island for many many years and cleaning my resorts beach daily I can tell you its is a losing battle where flotsam is concerned and it floats onto the beaches daily since there in an onshore wind which constantly delivers other peoples trash onto Ambergris Cayes shores.
Resorts employ maintenance guys to clean there beach DAILY as do wealthy homeowners who can afford to have there beach cleaned however other streches of beach that is not developed will build up trash that floats ashore daily which is not the result of islanders or locals just throwing there garbage on the beaches as most tourists think is the case.
Ambergris Caye is the dumping ground for everyones elses trash that constantly ends up on the shore.
Thats covers one aspect of trash on the island that has nothing to do with LOCALS and it is not feasible to have a cleaning crew cleaning 25 miles of coastline daily.
Locals and trash
I agree that the islanders could be more enviromentally friendy where other trash is concerned and that will come with time and education however the island is conciencious of enviromental concerns but when you consider there is not a trash compacter or avenue for safe disposal of used oils etc it is to be expected that trash will accumualate in places that it should not and the island is way overdue a waste plant instead of the dumps that are currently used to burn waste which is not a long term solution at the rate of the islands development and expansion.
The picture you show I agree with Peter it is illegal to dump any garbage on Ambergris Caye but of course as with anywhere people break the law until they get caught but the picture is not an accurate depictment of the island in general.
To summarize Ambergris Caye is a growing destination and as such has growing pains which is to be expected when a little fishing village of 2000 people becomes a town of 20,000
the OP has some valid points but Ambergris Caye is still a beautiful island that is struggling with sustainable development and with a government that takes 80% of the countrys tax revenue generated by Ambergris Caye and puts very little back into it.
No excuses its up to the islanders to keep their island clean where possible and educate the kids to not drop trash and keep La Isla Bonita the way it should be.
Gaz Cooper
1.) After living on the island for many many years and cleaning my resorts beach daily I can tell you its is a losing battle where flotsam is concerned and it floats onto the beaches daily since there in an onshore wind which constantly delivers other peoples trash onto Ambergris Cayes shores.
Resorts employ maintenance guys to clean there beach DAILY as do wealthy homeowners who can afford to have there beach cleaned however other streches of beach that is not developed will build up trash that floats ashore daily which is not the result of islanders or locals just throwing there garbage on the beaches as most tourists think is the case.
Ambergris Caye is the dumping ground for everyones elses trash that constantly ends up on the shore.
Thats covers one aspect of trash on the island that has nothing to do with LOCALS and it is not feasible to have a cleaning crew cleaning 25 miles of coastline daily.
Locals and trash
I agree that the islanders could be more enviromentally friendy where other trash is concerned and that will come with time and education however the island is conciencious of enviromental concerns but when you consider there is not a trash compacter or avenue for safe disposal of used oils etc it is to be expected that trash will accumualate in places that it should not and the island is way overdue a waste plant instead of the dumps that are currently used to burn waste which is not a long term solution at the rate of the islands development and expansion.
The picture you show I agree with Peter it is illegal to dump any garbage on Ambergris Caye but of course as with anywhere people break the law until they get caught but the picture is not an accurate depictment of the island in general.
To summarize Ambergris Caye is a growing destination and as such has growing pains which is to be expected when a little fishing village of 2000 people becomes a town of 20,000
the OP has some valid points but Ambergris Caye is still a beautiful island that is struggling with sustainable development and with a government that takes 80% of the countrys tax revenue generated by Ambergris Caye and puts very little back into it.
No excuses its up to the islanders to keep their island clean where possible and educate the kids to not drop trash and keep La Isla Bonita the way it should be.
Gaz Cooper
