Plastic Waste Floats Free Polluting A River In Guatemala

San Andrés Itzapa – a river that is shouting loud in silence a very important call for action: Save mother earth!

It will just be a matter of time that this community will realize what damage this can bring to everyone, not only to residents in this area but also to wherever these plastic trashes can reach. Have you ever seen a river with all those floating plastic waste? Surely, a storm is not necessary to turn this scenario into a devastating catastrophe. Whenever it rains, however weak it is, this community faces the dangers of flooding. Plastic waste clogs drainage systems and in no time, the rainwater will be flooding the area. This is the immediate expected damage that plastic waste creates.

Talking about a long term effect, the damage is far-reaching. Plastics take too long to decompose. That is why when you are sorting your trashes, you will have to put the plastics in a separate bin or if there are only two options, you will shoot it into the non-biodegradable. Experts say that plastics will take a decade up to ten centuries to decompose. Yes, that is a thousand of years. It is almost unimaginable! This means that if you throw away plastics now, the damaging effect can stretch through generations.

In addition, the devastation is not only affecting humans but also other living organisms both aquatic and terrestrial. You may have read about the effect of plastic waste in our oceans on whales and dolphins. If these big ocean dwellers are at threat, how much more to the small fish and aquatic animals?

Going back to the video, it is frustrating to see that the people who were around looking at what is going on are relaxed and seem unaffected. This scene may have become a natural sight for them which explains why they seem so detached and not bothered at all. Is our generation used to seeing plastic trash floating abundantly on rivers? Something has to be done but who should start to act? Everyone should be concerned. Reduce the use of plastics in our daily life. As simple as having the habit of bringing along with you a cloth grocery bag that you can use to carry your purchases will help reduce the use of plastics. How many times in a week you go to the grocery? Once, maybe. Many items are packed in a plastic container. Add the plastic bags where these items will be put so you can carry it to your car. Another simple action that we all can do is to bring along a water bottle for our day’s water need. Look closely at the video – certainly, you will spot several disposable water bottles floating. If everyone in the world practice just these two habits, plastic waste will be reduced will be reduced.

Save our earth. Where else can humanity thrive? If we do act now, one morning, we will wake up and realize that it is too late. It is everyone’s responsibility to act on this concern.