Interceptor 006 hauls record amount of trash from Rio Las Vacas in Guatemala

[usonian]

From The OceanCleanup

Interceptor 006 captured hundreds of truckloads of trash – and counting – in just a few hours in the first flood of the year – all prevented from reaching the Caribbean Sea.

After capturing millions of kilograms of trash in its first year of operation, Interceptor 006 has made a strong start to its second year and first full rainy season in Guatemala, capturing what may be our biggest river catch so far – in only a matter of hours.

Our crew on the ground in Guatemala are still working hard to extract all of this waste from the river and confirm the exact weight. Which such an enormous amount of trash to transport, we’re still verifying the total amount – follow @theoceancleanup to find out in the coming days if it’s our biggest so far.

Located in the Rio Las Vacas, around 16 km north of Guatemala City. The Rio Las Vacas is a tributary of the Rio Motagua – one of Guatemala’s main waterways and a significant contributor to plastic emissions into the Gulf of Honduras and the Caribbean Sea. Waste management challenges mean municipal and sanitary waste from Guatemala City is washed into the Rio Las Vacas during heavy rains, with this waste then flowing into the Rio Motagua and towards the coast. Prior to our deployment, it was estimated that up to 20 million kilograms of plastic waste was emitted from the Rio Motagua into the ocean, each year: much of it via the Rio Las Vacas.

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https://theoceancleanup.com/updates/the-ocean-cleanup-makes-biggest-ever-river-catch-in-guatemala/