Belize's most visited island has a trash problem, and now it has an official response. San Pedro Mayor Gualberto "Wally" Nuñez has issued a detailed reply to the Ambergris North Alliance (ANA), the residents' group that wrote to the Town Council in late September 2026 flagging what it called serious environmental, infrastructure and tourism concerns on North Ambergris Caye — the quieter, more remote stretch of the island beyond the main town.
The mayor's letter, published in early November, walks a careful line. It thanks ANA for its community cleanups and promises continued support — the Council says it routinely sends sanitation crews, drivers and traffic wardens to those events, often on staff days off, and that it has never refused a cleanup request. But it also pushes back on the suggestion that officials have been sitting idle.
Nuñez points to daily household garbage collection across the municipality, weekly dedicated crews tackling illegal dump sites, and a fleet of four garbage compactors that, he admits, is running near capacity — one vehicle in the shop can throw off entire collection schedules. The Council has pitched new waste collection substations for North Ambergris to the Belize Tourism Board, building on an existing drop-off point near the police station. Bigger picture: Ambergris Caye has been selected for a World Bank-backed pilot recycling initiative, which could ease pressure on the island's Solid Waste Transfer Station.
On dumping, the Council says it is working with the Department of the Environment, which has part-funded past cleanups. Some sites, the letter notes, have required heavy machinery and the removal of up to twenty dump-truck loads of waste. Officials are also drafting stronger by-laws covering illegal dumping, wastewater, and abandoned vehicles, plus monitoring measures to support fining offenders — the mayor argues bluntly that education and goodwill alone haven't worked.
Why should this matter to visitors? North Ambergris is where many of the island's boutique resorts and beach villas sit, reached by golf cart or boat from San Pedro town. Its beaches, mangroves and shallow flats are a big part of the appeal, and waste management struggles there directly affect what travellers see and swim in. A cleaner, better-serviced north end is good news for anyone planning a stay beyond the town; the recycling pilot, if it delivers, would be a genuine step forward for a small island absorbing rapid growth. Travellers heading that way can also do their part — packing out what they bring and using the designated collection points.
The letter closes with an olive branch: the Council welcomes criticism and collaboration, shares ANA's goal of a cleaner island, and wants credit for its staff's daily work. Whether the goodwill translates into substations, enforcement and a working recycling system — and before next high season — is what residents and visitors alike will be watching.
