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A social project operated by the inhabitants of a community in Guatemala has made it possible to recover 300 tons of waste in the Las Vacas river, considered the main drainage of the capital of the Central American country, where some three million people live.
"This project arises from the need to clean the river basins, because the contamination flows into the Honduran coast and is a problem that has already transcended borders," Mario Zea, operational director of the non-governmental organization, told the EFE news agency. Biosferagt.
Zea describes the project as "a dream that was born eight years ago."
Thanks to alliances with partners such as the Coca Cola firm, they were able to begin the extraction of waste in the Las Vacas river on February 2, 2022 with a "biobarda".
In 2023, the project —which is looking for new allies— will implement two new 'bio-fences' in the Las Vacas river, about 15 kilometers from Guatemala City, with the aim of doubling the amount of waste recovered.
During this second year of operations, the project hopes to install, with the support of the Dutch organization
The Ocean Cleanup
two barriers more than 50 meters wide by eight meters high each, and thus be able to contain at least 600 tons of waste of the more than 8,500 that it is estimated that drains from residences, factories and hospitals pour into this river annually.
The waste is collected by the Biosferagt organization and subsequently processed by more than 25 workers, who belong to the community of San Antonio Las Flores in the municipality of Chinautla, in the department of Guatemala (center).
The tons of plastic that are captured are sold to recyclers and those that do not pass the filters are processed by the workers, who turn them into construction material that is put up for sale, allowing income to sustain the project.