Tortuguero has a high level of biodiversity which means, a variety of living organisms. It is a lush environment with an array of animals ranging from iguanas to large sea turtles. This place attracts a lot of tourism, especially during the nesting and hatching season of the turtles. With so much natural beauty that needs protecting, the people of Tortuguero work hard to reduce waste in the community.
It was a Saturday afternoon, and the Caribbean sun was beaming down on my skin. I was following a tour guide down a long, narrow street. We were walking through a small village in Tortuguero. The guide first led us to a stand where a man was selling fresh coconut water. I watched closely as he swiftly cut open each coconut with his machete (large knife) and sliped a plastic straw through the middle before handing it off to each customer.
As we continued on our tour, and everybody started to finish up their drinks, I noticed that people began tossing their trash into the waste bins lining the streets. These weren’t just any normal waste bins, these were large bins with fun shapes and colors. I had never seen anything like that before, and I began to wonder if this was a way to reduce litter on the streets. I also began to wonder if it is hard to contain the waste from tourists like us.
