A Dutch NGO, The Ocean Cleanup, continues its collection of plastics dumped in the oceans and embarks on a new mission in Guatemala to retain the thousands of tons of plastic carried by the rivers and which end up in the Caribbean Sea. A metal fence giant was tested in the municipality of Chinautla (center) on the Las Vacas River, a tributary of the Motagua River which flows into the Gulf of Honduras.
Read alsoThis boat will clean the Pacific Ocean of plastic waste
During the rainy season in Guatemala, flash floods carry huge amounts of plastic and other waste from the capital city of Guatemala, and this sturdy barrier will serve to hold them back.
“The interceptor captures all the trash that spills into the river and when the water level drops, all the trash that accumulates against the fence will be extracted,” said the 27-year-old on the banks of Las Holidays.
According to estimates by The Ocean Cleanup, the plastics transported each year by Las Vacas before ending up on the Caribbean beaches of Guatemala and Honduras, represent 2% of all the plastic waste annually dumped in the oceans of the globe.
