Sunday 05 October 2008, San José, Costa
Rica
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Central Pacific Beaches
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For María To Become The Latest Latin
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Impact of US Financial
Crisis
Guanacaste Beaches
Joined Worldwide Cleanup
Crusade
First A Hospital, Then A
Jail, Now To Be A School
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Guanacaste Beaches
Joined Worldwide Cleanup
Crusade
(Infocom) — Several
Guanacaste communities
participated in the
largest worldwide
coastal areas cleanup
effort last Sept. 20-21.
The International Coast
Cleanup is an event
organized by The Ocean
Conservancy.
Every year, in
September, hundreds of
thousands of people
around the globe put
together activities, not
only to pick up trash
from beaches, but also
to update date to
analyze trash contents
found in the sea. Thanks
to the information
collected by volunteers,
The Ocean Conservancy
creates reports for each
country and for the
entire planet.
In 2007, some 6 million
pounds of trash were
collected, with 1,315
pounds of waste being
picked in Costa Rica.
The 2007 results
indicated that in Costa
Rica, 76 percent of
coastal waste originates
from recreational
activities and 16
percent from smoking.
The most common objects
found in 2007 inn Costa
Rica were can openers,
straws, stir sticks,
cigarette butts, food
wrappers and containers,
cups, plates, forks,
knifes and spoons. Also
collected were plastic
bags and drink
containers, aluminum
cans, lighters and toys.
Meanwhile, international
data indicated that 57.4
percent of trash comes
from recreational
activities on the coast,
with 33.6 being garbage
left behind by smokers.
“It’s not enough to have
one or two big cleanups
every year,” said Tanya
Buxton of Ocotal Beach
Resort, which organized
one of the sanitation
drives in Guanacaste.
“We need to teach people
and increase their
knowledge so they can
take these actions
daily.”
In Ocotal Beach, the
local Ecological Blue
Flag Committee conducts
monthly cleanup efforts
as it invites kids from
area schools to join in
and learn more about the
importance of oceans and
waste management.
“Education and knowledge
are more important to
effect change,” Buxton
pointed out.
“The Ocotal Ecological
Blue Flag Committee
decided to become
responsible for cleaning
up after people visit
the beach and thus get a
recycling program
started, open to the
public, at Ocotal Beach
Resort. But this is only
the first stage. The
most important thing we
do is educate the kids
who come here.”
The following Guanacaste
communities organized
cleanups as part of the
worldwide effort: Ocotal,
El Coco, Panama and
Cuajiniquil. At Ocotal,
the sanitation drive was
put together by the
Ecological Blue Flag
Committee and Ocotal
Beach Resort.
During the activity this
year, most of the waste
found on the beaches by
volunteers was food
wrappers and plastic
bags, although even a
car battery was
recovered. |
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