Picking up garbage is never fun, but two organizations made it so and they were awarded today. On May 21st the BDF Youth Cadet and BEL participated in the Department of the Environment's highway cleanup campaign. The volunteers went along the highway from Belize to Benque collecting bags of garbage and this morning there was a short ceremony to honor them for their hard work. Environmental Officer Celi Cho told us more about this initiative.
Celi Cho - Environment Officer
"When we were organizing the highway clean up, we thought about having 2 categories of prizes that volunteers can win a prize for 1; was for who brought out the most volunteers and who collected the most bags just to give them an incentive to want to come out apart from the whole volunteerism come out and at least get something back. So, what happened is that the BDF cadets, they come out every time we ask and they won the category for bringing out the most volunteers, because they are a large group and they come out. Then the Belize electricity limited they won the category for collecting the most bags. The highway clean up walk for a green Belize we are trying to bring more awareness for why it is important to keep our environment clean. Why not to litter? When everybody throws garbage out of the buses or the vehicles it collects. When we have a lot of garbage it creates a big health problem for the country apart from an environmental problem because it can cause water pollution and with a health problem, garbage attracts pests which carries bacteria and can get illness from. So, it creates a lot of problem, garbage on a whole. We always try to educate the public why it's important to keep Belize clean and healthy. It's for our own benefit."
Cpl. Doreen Lamb - BDF Youth Cadets, Ladyville Det.
"We try our best to bring out the largest amount of kids. We try to pull them out from everywhere because we know that it's something that they will learn from and something that will encourage them to also keep their environment clean. Of course when I'm out there I'm also at them. Sometimes they want to go all the way in to the bushes to get the garbage, but sometimes I would have to call them back because sometimes the area would be dangerous or maybe muddy maybe snakes would be there but a part from that they try to pick up every single little thing even the little sweet papers that they would see, they would try to pick it up. So, I am glad that they are the recipients of this award and I am sure that they are proud. This is a moment that had never thought that they would have been in. So, I am happy."
Both BEL and the BDF Youth Cadets got $200 each. The BEL volunteers donated their money to the cadets so they walk away with a full $ 400 award.
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