Junk on the water

[LavaSurfer]

Last week I was in Roatan and Utila doing my IE. Passed it with flying colors!
Woo Hoo

That's not the topic here though. To get to the IE I took the ferry from Roatan to La Ceiba the La Ceiba to Utila and was completely horrified at the garbage afloat between the islands. From the time we left La Ceiba until we arrived at Utila there were pop cans, plastic containers, garbage bags etc for the entire 25 mile trip. It was the most disturbing sight I have seen in a long time. I tried to rationalize that the floods from hurricane Felix maybe washed it out into the Caribbean but I wonder if this is the case. There is literally tons of garbage afloat. What a sad site it was.

 

[Hemlon]

I am definitely no expert as I have only been to Roatan twice. But I didn't see a lot of trash in the water either time.

Now on the streets in town?? BIG time trash.

 

[LavaSurfer]

I have never seen much trash afloat around Roatan Either. This was from Cayos Cochinos to La Ceiba and over to Utila. Its very possible the garbage was washed out from Felix but its pretty disgusting none the less.

You are right about the streets of Roatan. The locals can be quite pigs when it comes to trash. Garbage fills the creeks and streams and every gully. Trash lies under the beautiful green landscape in most places.

On a good note, I did notice the reefs look healthy around Roatan. Healthier than I thought they did a few years ago. I have been going there quite regularly over the past 2 1/2 years and they look better than ever. I saw very little bleaching and lots of new growth in areas I remembered being pretty sad looking like around Spooky Channel which 2 years ago looked like a coral grave yard.

 

[Garrobo]

Keep in mind that you are visiting a 4th world country, the poorest in the western hemisphere behind Haiti. Maybe then you will understand.

 

[mislav]

Sadly, it happens everywhere nowadays. I've very recently seen a documentary on how much junk floats to Hawaii and Midway islands and gets washed ashore or circles around in the ocean.

What's worse, local albatross population suffers from this. Apparently, albatross will mistake anything floating on surface for a food and swallow it. Since it can't digest it, it will take up space and the albatross will be unable to get enough nutrients from food. The result is they don't have enough strength to fly and feed properly and often die on the beaches.

And it's amazing what these guys are capable of swallowing - lighters, pens, golf balls, even ink jet cartridges...

 

[LavaSurfer]

Keep in mind that you are visiting a 4th world country, the poorest in the western hemisphere behind Haiti. Maybe then you will understand.

I get that. It makes me wonder what can be done.
It's certainly a government issue and in Honduras there is barely a government and what government there is is pretty corrupt. There is npo money in keeping the oceans clean so there is no incentive. Owning property there has opened my eyes to the corruption. THats a whole different topic. I am searching my brain and resources thinking that there is something that can be done.

 

[archman]

Even Italy can't manage its own trash anymore. Nowadays it just gets piled up on the streets, and locals set it afire.

On a minor note for U.S. citizens with inkjet printers. Don't throw those cartridges away... you can get most brand names refilled for a nominal fee at Walgreens pharmacies.

That's right, REFILLED.

 

[fire5man]

THERE SODA CANS NOT POP HEHEHEHE

Sounds like the Potomac River. There is a boat that rides around in the Washington, DC area with a scoop on the front like a snow plow and picks up all the trash. I am forever hitting stuff while on the boat at night. Lots of trash. I hear it was worse in the 70's

Well sounds like your problem could have been the floods thats what people around here seam to blame all there trash ending in the water around here from.

 

[Garrobo]

LaveSurfer: Not in your lifetime.

 

[Hank49]

That's not the topic here though. To get to the IE I took the ferry from Roatan to La Ceiba the La Ceiba to Utila and was completely horrified at the garbage afloat between the islands. From the time we left La Ceiba until we arrived at Utila there were pop cans, plastic containers, garbage bags etc for the entire 25 mile trip. It was the most disturbing sight I have seen in a long time. I tried to rationalize that the floods from hurricane Felix maybe washed it out into the Caribbean but I wonder if this is the case. There is literally tons of garbage afloat. What a sad site it was.

If you've ever been to Belize and wonder why we have so much garbage on our beaches....well, with prevailing easterly winds a lot of that junk ends up here eventually. So dont' worry, we'll clean it up.