Tourist Expresses Sadness over Garbage Situation on Ambergris Caye

Dear Mayor Guerrero and San Pedro Town Council,
I recently visited your beautiful country and spent a little over a week in Ambergris Caye and San Pedro. My husband and I enjoyed snorkeling and swimming in the beautiful clean water and were very appreciative of the warmth as we came from upstate New York, USA where it’s been very cold. We also very much enjoyed how friendly everyone was in the town and how delicious the food is everywhere we ate.

One thing that greatly bothers me however is the amount of garbage everywhere is; on the beaches, in the town, on the roads etc. Isn’t there some way that this can be changed? Don’t people feel pride in where they live? Later I was shocked to find out the Town is using garbage as land fill in the some of the housing areas for the poor and migrant workers. Why is this a good idea? Surely, you can see how toxic chemicals would be leaching into the ground and water which is so close by.

Allowing your beautiful country to be contaminated by garbage and sewage will only hurt you in the long run as tourists will talk to each other as they compare places to go. Tourists look at sites like TripaAdvisor and it only takes a few comments for others to avoid an area that is considered dirty and polluted. But even more importantly, the health of your own people is at stake. Isn’t it true that many rare and strange cancers are showing up in the population? Now that the elections are over, it is your responsibility to take care of your beautiful island and I sincerely hope you do.