Playa Ventanas Cleanup

YOU CAN’T ESCAPE TRASH

While the above heading can be applied to many areas of life, I mean it in the most literal: garbage is everywhere. Middle of the ocean, deserted arctic islands, highest mountain peaks and the hottest of deserts show signs that we like to make stuff and we like to throw stuff away. So it’s no surprise that our beautiful beaches are not immune – especially the more popular ones, and especially after the Semana Santa long weekend!

Booth on beach. — The cleanup ‘headquarters’.

While scrolling the Ojochal Lifestyle facebook page I came upon a post advertising a volunteer Playa Ventanas cleanup on April 12, 2023, from 8.00 am to 10.00 am – a perfect time window before it gets too hot. I decided join and use the opportunity to help spread the message by writing and sharing a blog. If you are keen to help, keep an eye out on the two different types of posts:

Facebook notice advertising the cleanup, as posted in the Ojochal Lifestyle page.

Facebook notice advertising a different cleanup, as posted in the Ojochal Lifestyle page.

Table of Contents

MCEC

I arrived a bit early to get in a quick swim then joined the MCEC (Marine Conservation and Education Centre) staff for a chat about what they do and how the cleanup will go. MCEC is a project of Innoceana and does A LOT of things around ocean conservation and education, one of them being the rolling clean-ups of the local beaches such as Ventanas, Hermosa and Tortuga, which they operate in collaboration with ADI of Ojochal and Reserva Playa Tortuga. People were slowly trickling in as I grabbed my bucket and started to scour the sand for trash (you are asked to bring reusable bags, or better, a plastic bucket, reusable gloves, sunscreen and bug repellent).

THE CLEANUP

The beach looked trashed. Semana Santa had just ended. Visitors packed Ventanas all week. By 8:00 a.m., the carpark overflowed. Crowds filled every corner. Some camped out for days. After the year’s busiest week, the bucket worked overtime.

Plastic litter covered the sand. Bottles, caps, straws, and single-use utensils scattered everywhere. Bags, plates, and cling wrap tangled in driftwood. Cigarette butts dotted the dunes. Sandals, shoes, beer bottles, and metal caps piled up. Food wrappers and crushed cans added to the mess. One couple brought a machete. They focused on cutting string from trees. Visitors had tied it to tarps and clothes. They left it behind without a second thought.

Garbage in coconut shell. — Rubbish stuffed inside a coconut husk.

I walked the beach from end to end, reaching the southern headland. Trash clustered in clear party zones. Some visitors grouped it into plastic bags or stacked it in piles. Others burned it. A few fires still smoldered. Melted plastic formed hardened rivers around the smoky pits.

THE SORTING

Once the bucket filled up, we dumped everything onto a large tarp. MCEC staff sorted the garbage. Public volunteers kept collecting trash. After an hour, organizers asked everyone to stop gathering and help with the sorting.

Blue tarp on beach. — Sorting the rubbish into piles.

The Usual Suspects

We sorted the garbage, then counted each item. Staff added the data to a running database that tracks local waste. Some items went to recyclers. Others—like bottle caps and string—went to schools for kids’ art projects. The rest headed to the landfill, not the ocean. In just two hours, we collected and sorted 28.5 kilos of rubbish.

Sorting the rubbish into piles - this is the fruit of the Playa Ventanas cleanup efforts! — Sorting the rubbish into piles – this is the fruit of the Playa Ventanas cleanup efforts!

Pile of rubbish. — A LOT of plastic waste. Food and drink packaging is a big culprit.

Pile of shoes. — Lots of shoes, but very few matching pairs.

Rubbish bags, from the Playa Ventanas cleanup efforts. — What cannot be recycled or reused is trashed, this time in a landfill, not our beach.

A Vital Effort

I was surprised to see the amount of rubbish that was collected and the variety of the refuse – and don’t want to imagine how unkept and even dangerous (due to the glass and sharp metal) Playa Ventanas, and other local beaches, would be without the regular clean-ups organized and operated by the MCEC and their partners.

I would encourage everyone to help out with the beach cleanup – get some sun, fresh air, throw in a swim, and especially let your kids pitch in!

Regular activities such as the Playa Ventanas Cleanup keep local residents and expats fully engaged in community life. There is something going on every single day – pickleball tournaments, themed evenings at local restaurants, community meetings, beach clean-ups, live performances, festivals…you will NEVER be bored in our little corner of paradise! We are sure that you would fit in PERFECTLY and find both the serenity & engagement you are seeking – and while you browse the local properties available in Costa Ballena, know that RE/MAX WE SELL PARADISE is your trusted partner in the South Pacific corner of Costa Rica.