This is not the local dump, it is a beach in VenezuelaWhat has been the one constant along the way?
The amount of litter we have seen on our travels. Do not even get me started on the careless over-use of disposables!
Ok, so far Venezuela has the most litter but are conservative in packaging and do not overuse. Beer bottles litter the roadsides, so much so if you were to throw a bottle you would be very lucky not to hit a bottle that is already there! It is a poor country, why not have a bottle return system, like we had in the good old days....a few cents a bottle adds up doesn't it? Not even sure if they actually even have bin collections. For some strange reason the litter in Venezuela didn't worry me, perhaps because they do not overuse disposables and it is heavily populated.
The Bahamas on the other hand is not heavily populated and truly have magnificent waters so to see them over-package everything (I have never seen so many styrofoam food containers) and just carelessly discard their waste is alarming. One fellow in Nassau had no qualm in throwing his KFC box on the busy footpath when he was done with it....maybe that island 'no worries mon' attitude.
Florida...well that is just a throw away society. I cannot believe Americans are only just now introducing re-usable grocery bags in the supermarkets. I might add some oldies are complaining about it..they believe it is their right to use plastic bags. So much for older being wiser!
Dominican Republic for a poor country still manages to have lots of styrofoam hot boxes.
Bonaire supermarkets charge for plastic bags and while the island still has it's fair share of litter, the people are at least making an effort, by reducing wastage.
Curacao (in fact most places I have been) on the other hand put three grocery items in a plastic bag that has been re-enforced by another plastic bag and I am expected to walk out with ten of these double bags with a few items in each. I don't think so.
Everywhere in St Kitts has don't litter signs and guess what....everywhere there is a sign, someone has kindly dumped their rubbish. Why?
I am not having a whine about a few pieces of paper or a couple of plastic bags, many times there are garbage bags full of waste just dumped by the roadside.
Every paradise we visited was littered! The exception to this was Saba, Dutch Antilles. It takes out the gold medal in my book for being the cleanest place we have visited. Congratulations proud Sabans for respecting your paradise!
Most of the people we have met so far are fabulously friendly and proud people. I just can't understand most peoples total disregard for the planet and the consequences of their actions. Someone enlighten me!
Ok, I will get down off my styrofoam soapbox now.
