In the midst of all the breathtakingly beautiful views La Guajira(1) has to offer, we see landscapes like the following: empty fields with only a few trees, those trees and the grass are coated with a thick layer of garbage, and an innumerable amount of plastic bags and bottles. This scenery usually follows an indigenous person’s home or an Arjuna’s(2) settlement. Usually it’s the former rather than the latter.

The heavy winds transport the bags and other plastic to the previously pristine ocean. Plastic bags are known to confuse marine animals and trick them into thinking they are food. Turtles believe the plastic bags are food and eat them. They ingest the toxins and unfortunately it doesn’t end there. They pass on the toxins to other animals as the food chain continues.

Not only do they ingest the plastic, but many get caught in it too. Many cases exist in which a dolphin, a shark or any other marine animal gets caught in a piece of plastic. They can choke from it or it can prevent them from moving.

It is understandable that La Guajira and the Wayúu don’t have the measures to properly dispose of the garbage they are creating, but letting it float to the ocean is one of the worst options. They can start with using less plastic in the first place and then start picking up the trash already there. To tackle the process of actually disposing of the trash, we have several options. Two of the most viable are sanitary landfills and recycling facilities. Needless to say, both these options would be time-consuming but, apart from cleaning the oceans and their land, they would generate jobs. Sanitary landfills are places in which garbage and all other waste can be stored and isolated from the environment until it is safe.

Recycling facilities would be useful to encourage La Guajira inhabitants to recycle. As an idea, everytime they do, they could receive a reward. That will invite them to pick up the trash and clean their land and oceans. Of course, the tourists aren’t aiding the cause. Putting up more trash cans and informing the visitors of the danger of their waste is also a necessity.

The need to save our oceans must come first. The people must take responsibility of their waste in order to save our marine life.

(1)La Guajira is the northernmost part of Colombia. It is an area well known for its deserts and beautiful oceans.

(2)Arijuna is the Wayúu’s name for the people outside of their community.