Beachgoers in the Dominican Republic see waves of plastic trash

Just like Lake Tahoe, those visiting the Dominican Republic expect to see the beautiful blues shades of the water. Instead, beachgoers this week were greeted by tons of trash floating on top of the ocean, barely moving around with the motion of the waves due to the massive volume.

Parley for the Oceans released a video of what they are calling a "world's largest garbage emergency," showing tons of mostly plastic trash, something that happens every time it rains in the Caribbean country.

"Parley is currently on site working with the navy, the army, public workers and the municipal government," said the group on their website. "Over 500 public workers were mobilized for the operation, and after three days of work teams had collected 30 tons of plastic."

Six of the tons of recovered trash will be transformed into Ocean Plastic, a premium material used to create products that act as symbols of change and fund the battle against marine plastic pollution.

“Seeing this firsthand is absolutely shocking, but what’s worse is that this is not news in Santo Domingo,” explains Parley’s Carmen Danae Chamorro from the scene. “This situation happens every time it rains heavily, that’s why it’s important to shine a light on what has been ignored.”

There is currently a ban on all single-use plastic bags in South Lake Tahoe grocery stores, and a styrofoam ban goes into effect this fall.

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