We’re grateful to member Howard Lobb for this week’s program!

For over three years we have been working on developing an Interceptor project in the Rio Motagua basin in Guatemala, which suffers yearly trash tsunamis, devastating the environment.

Geographic and municipal conditions mean an estimated 20,000 tonnes of plastic currently flows through the Rio Motagua into the Caribbean Sea on an annual basis. Based on this number, this one river alone is responsible for an estimated 2% of global plastic emissions into the oceans.

In May, we trialed our Interceptor Trashfence, aiming to intercept up to 20M kg of plastic flowing through the Rio Motagua into the Caribbean Sea each year. The pilot phase is completed, we’ve disassembled the Trashfence, and we’ll study the learnings from this exciting trial. Stay tuned to see our next steps as we tackle this yearly trash tsunami in the Caribbean.

The Ocean Cleanup is one of the organizations that form part of the “Alianza Cuenca del Motagua” / Motagua River Alliance. The alliance is a coalition of 45+ organizations working on restoring the Motagua basin, and lists The Ocean Cleanup among its members, alongside groups like Ocean Legacy Foundation, MARN, Rotary Clubs, and others. Cooperative for Education & the Guatemala Literacy Project are currently looking at ways to support the Alliance’s efforts.