The following is an official response from Mayor Gualberto ” Wally” Nunez and the San Pedro Town Council regarding Ambergris North Alliance’s (ANA) letter dated September 28th 2026, in regards to what they address as serious environmental, infrastructure and tourism concerns facing North Ambergris Caye.
Dear Mrs. Paz,
We acknowledge receipt of your letter dated September 28, 2026, and subsequent correspondence regarding waste management and illegal dumping on North Ambergris Caye.
Firstly, we recognize and appreciate the efforts of the Ambergris North Alliance (ANA) in organizing community cleanups and promoting environmental responsibility. We share your concerns regarding illegal dumping and the growing demands on our island’s waste management infrastructure.
However, we believe it is important to clarify the Council’s ongoing involvement and the considerable work already being undertaken to address these challenges.
OUR SUPPORT FOR COMMUNITY CLEANUPS
Since the inception of the Ambergris North Alliance, the San Pedro Town Council has actively supported cleanups organized by ANA. This includes deploying sanitation workers, drivers, traffic wardens and maintenance crews, often requiring personnel to work on their days off or be reassigned from regular municipal duties.
While volunteers typically participate for several hours, our crews often remain considerably longer to complete the cleanup, collect the accumulated waste and transport it for proper disposal.
We have consistently provided this support without hesitation and maintained direct communication with ANA throughout these activities.
This partnership is important to recognize because the success of these cleanups depends on both community volunteers and the municipal personnel, equipment and resources that support them. Our commitment extends to all community organizations, businesses and residents undertaking similar initiatives. Despite our limited resources and operational demands, we have never turned down a request to assist with a community cleanup.
Ongoing Work in North Ambergris
OUR ONGOING WASTE MANAGEMENT OPERATIONS
Beyond supporting community initiatives, the Council maintains daily household garbage collection and deploys dedicated crews every week to address illegal dumping throughout the municipality.
We investigate reported dumping sites, conduct outreach with residents and businesses, and regularly remove discarded materials from public spaces. This includes yard waste and other materials that residents are legally responsible for transporting directly to the Solid Waste Transfer Station.
We acknowledge that our island has grown considerably and that our municipal services must continue expanding to meet these demands.
Our administration has invested in four garbage compactors, which operate continuously to service the established collection areas. Even with this investment, our existing fleet is operating near capacity, and the temporary removal of a single vehicle for repairs can significantly disrupt collection schedules.
Nevertheless, we remain committed to strengthening our operations and expanding services as resources become available.
We have already submitted detailed work plans to the Belize Tourism Board (BTB) proposing additional waste collection substations across North Ambergris Caye. This builds on the existing collection point near the police station, where residents can deposit household garbage for scheduled weekly collection.
Additionally, through our engagement with the World Bank and national partners, Ambergris Caye has been selected to participate in a pilot waste recycling initiative. This has the potential to significantly reduce the burden on the Solid Waste Transfer Station and strengthen our long- term waste management capacity.
These initiatives require considerable planning, investment and coordination, but they are essential to developing sustainable solutions beyond repeated cleanup operations.
ILLEGAL DUMPING AND ENFORCEMENT
The Council has also been working closely with the Department of the Environment (DOE) to strengthen our response to illegal dumping.
Several major dumping sites have already been identified, mapped and investigated, with joint cleanup operations being coordinated. Some locations require heavy machinery, extensive personnel and the removal of as many as twenty dump-truck loads of accumulated waste.
The DOE has provided financial support for previous cleanup operations and continues assisting with upcoming activities, public awareness campaigns, signage and enforcement initiatives.
Importantly, we are also working to strengthen environmental enforcement legislation and municipal by-laws to address existing weaknesses concerning illegal dumping, wastewater disposal, abandoned vehicles and the improper use of public spaces.
Our approach has involved extensive outreach, investigations and documentation to ensure that enforcement measures are practical, legally supported and effective.
We are also pursuing additional monitoring and evidence-gathering measures to support the issuance of fines against offenders.
While some of these activities cannot be publicly detailed due to the sensitive nature of enforcement, considerable work has already been undertaken to establish a stronger system of accountability.
Our experience has demonstrated that public education and voluntary compliance alone are insufficient. Consistent enforcement and meaningful penalties are necessary to discourage illegal dumping and hold offenders accountable.
Our efforts also include the ongoing removal of abandoned vehicles throughout the island. These are longstanding problems that have accumulated over several decades, and the Council continues investing considerable resources to address them, even where the responsibility for proper disposal rests with individual owners.
OUR COMMITMENT TO COLLABORATION
We agree with ANA that addressing the island’s waste management challenges requires stronger coordination among government agencies, businesses and community organizations.
Indeed, much of the work outlined above is already being undertaken through active partnerships with the DOE, BTB, the World Bank and other stakeholders.
We are therefore concerned that your correspondence suggests a lack of action or meaningful engagement on the part of the Council. This does not accurately reflect the extensive work already underway or the consistent support provided to ANA’s own initiatives. While we recognize that much more remains to be done, we believe it is important that these efforts and the contributions of our municipal personnel are fairly acknowledged.
We also wish to emphasize that our commitment to supporting ANA and other community organizations remains unchanged.
We welcome constructive criticism, recommendations and collaboration. However, we believe meaningful progress requires an accurate understanding of the work already being undertaken and the shared responsibilities involved.
The Council is not an obstacle to these efforts. We have been, and continue to be, an active and committed partner.
Our municipal employees work daily, often under difficult conditions and with limited resources, to maintain public spaces, collect waste, support community cleanups and respond to environmental concerns. Their contributions deserve recognition.
Ultimately, we share the same objective: a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable Ambergris Caye. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with ANA and strengthening our collective efforts toward achieving this objective.
Sincerely,
Our Island, Our Home.
Respectfully,
Mayor Wally Nuñez San Pedro Town Council
