Ambergris North Alliance Calls for Urgent Cleanup Ahead of Tourism High Season

The Ambergris North Alliance (ANA), joined by the San Pedro Belize Tourism Industry Association (SP BTIA) and BTIA national president Efren Perez, held a press conference at El Fogon on Thursday, November 5th, calling for urgent action on waste management ahead of the tourism high season. Residents, business representatives and conservation advocates gathered to address roadside litter, illegal dumping, construction waste and what organizers described as an inadequate response from elected officials.
“The high season is almost here, and this season we are not ready. Our roads need work, our island needs to be cleaned up,” said ANA President Catherine Paz, who called for basic services to be addressed before major new projects are undertaken.
The conference included opening statements from ANA, SP BTIA, a wildlife presentation by ACES Wildlife Rescue, and reporter questions, followed by a golf cart tour along the northern road visitors use to reach Secret Beach. The tour covered the route from town to the Secret Beach turnoff at Mile 4.5.
ANA identified several dumping sites along the northern Ambergris Caye Road. The group also highlighted dump sites where it said mangroves had been cleared, and the use of sargassum and trash as landfill. Other concerns included lagoon filling and additional mangrove clearing.
According to ANA, some dump sites had remained for a year or longer. Organizers said the tour was intended to demonstrate the extent of the problem beyond the photographs presented at the press conference.

Founded in 2024, ANA organizes monthly volunteer cleanups and raises funds for roadside cleaning in its northern focus area, extending from the bridge toward Mile 10. Catherine Paz said the group wrote to local and national authorities in September requesting regular waste collection, removal of dump sites, litter pickup, and enforcement.
While acknowledging assistance from the San Pedro Town Council, she said lasting improvements were needed. “They grade the roads. We get a little bit of fix here and there now and then, but it’s all band-aided. It’s all patchwork.”
Paz also rejected suggestions that political candidates’ participation made ANA a partisan organization, saying their involvement stemmed from community cleanup efforts.
Speakers linked waste management to residents’ welfare, wildlife protection and tourism. Melanie Paz, chairperson of BTIA’s San Pedro chapter, said previous cleanups had been followed by renewed dumping.
“Keeping the island clean is everybody’s responsibility, not just ANA or BTIA or the town council, but everybody on the island’s responsibility,” she said.
ACES Wildlife Rescue Co-manager Matt Barnes described animals becoming entangled in discarded fishing line and plastic, swallowing waste and losing habitat. BTIA National President Efren Perez also raised concerns about congestion, zoning, sargassum and erosion.
“And we definitely are not against development, but development has to be sustainable, and it has to have the community in mind in that process,” Perez said.

ANA said its immediate priority was dialogue with ministers, the mayor and relevant agencies, rather than demonstrations. Proposed measures included requiring proper waste disposal arrangements before issuing trade licenses, providing suitable waste receptacles at businesses and construction sites, monitoring compliance and strengthening enforcement. Participants also encouraged residents to report dumping to the Department of the Environment.
The group will continue seeking meetings with government officials to address waste collection, dump site removal, and enforcement. It is also calling for residents to have a greater role in decisions affecting the island’s infrastructure and development.