Marine clean-up charity 4Ocean has expanded its operations into Central America, having in January 2020 started removing plastic pollution from Guatemala’s seas and coastlines. The group is especially focusing on the Motagua river, which spills into the Gulf of Honduras and is one of the world’s most polluted waterways.
Based at the eastern port of Puerto Barrios, the charity’s work will also include cleaning up the country’s so-called “Trash Islands” – approximately 30 miles of floating waste in the ocean between Guatemala and the Caribbean island of Honduras-owned Roatán. 4Ocean is using six of its standard garbage-collecting sea vessels, as well as its Mobile Skimmer (which removes large amounts of debris in high-density areas), for the sea-based work. It has also installed collection systems at the mouths of major rivers to intercept waste on its way to the ocean.
Because of its poor infrastructure and limited waste management facilities, combined with rivers flowing directly from cities to the sea, Central America is a major contributor to plastic pollution in the ocean. The work of external organisations such as 4Ocean is vital in tackling the problem in these countries that do not have the resources to do so themselves.
As well as carrying out this important clean-up work, the project in Guatemala is giving the charity the opportunity to test new waste collection systems, employ local fishermen and educate communities on the problem of plastic pollution.
further reading…
Marine clean-up charity 4Ocean has expanded its operations into Central America, having in January 2020 started removing plastic pollution from Guatemala’s seas and coastlines. The group is especially focusing on the Motagua river, which spills into the Gulf of Honduras and is one of the world’s most polluted waterways.
Based at the eastern port of Puerto Barrios, the charity’s work will also include cleaning up the country’s so-called “Trash Islands” – approximately 30 miles of floating waste in the ocean between Guatemala and the Caribbean island of Honduras-owned Roatán. 4Ocean is using six of its standard garbage-collecting sea vessels, as well as its Mobile Skimmer (which removes large amounts of debris in high-density areas), for the sea-based work. It has also installed collection systems at the mouths of major rivers to intercept waste on its way to the ocean.
Because of its poor infrastructure and limited waste management facilities, combined with rivers flowing directly from cities to the sea, Central America is a major contributor to plastic pollution in the ocean. The work of external organisations such as 4Ocean is vital in tackling the problem in these countries that do not have the resources to do so themselves.
As well as carrying out this important clean-up work, the project in Guatemala is giving the charity the opportunity to test new waste collection systems, employ local fishermen and educate communities on the problem of plastic pollution.