Joining Forces to Stop Plastic Pollution from Reaching the Ocean

A growing number of organizations are mobilizing their efforts to save Guatemala’s Río Motagua, one of the world’s most plastic-emitting rivers, by depolluting it and raising awareness about plastic pollution in local communities.

“We hope to stop most of the trash and plastic that’s coming down the Río Motagua from inland during the rainy season before it reaches the ocean,” states Kevin Kuhlow, 4ocean’s country manager for Guatemala. “We say it a lot that cleaning the ocean alone will not solve the ocean plastic crisis. We have to stop it at the source and turn off the tap.”

Each year, 18 million kilograms of trash pours into the ocean, making up roughly 2% of the plastic waste entering the world’s oceans. From the mouth of the 486-kilometer, Motagua flows through Guatemala, into the Gulf of Honduras, and, ultimately, the Caribbean Sea. The US-based startup 4ocean has collected more than 37 million tons of trash from oceans, rivers, and coastlines since 2017. In 2023, the company installed a boom, a floating fence-like barrier 48 kilometres upstream from the mouth of Motagua River, thus capturing 45,000 kilograms of trash without disturbing wildlife. The non-profit organization The Ocean Cleanup installed its barricade in Las Vacas, a tributary of the Motagua River. The Alliance for the Motagua River, regrouping local and international organizations, aims at restoring and cleaning up the river basin. One of its member organizations, Fundación Crecer, has created accessible educational programs for kids that teach them how to recycle and compost.