Quote Originally Posted by Jon View Post
I learned to dive in Utila, Honduras. Stunningly beautiful under the ocean, but the town was a total trash heap. Even the yards around the houses were loaded with trash and misc sea washup. I didn't get it for a while - why didn't they just clean it up?

I finally decided that the strict distinction between trash and non-trash was largely a concept from Western or First World or high-infrastructure countries or whatever the term is. What I perceived as trash was possibly more accurately "junk" or "stuff" to them.

I heard that they have since cleaned up, and there are shiny new trash cans lining the main street. Probably the increase in tourist revenue.
When at school, during the 60's,I read an article about the water pollution in Mexico City & it was so bad it was a fire hazard.(must have been lots of chemicals in runoff) Guess they have been trying to drain that basin for centuries & I wonder, having never been there, whether they have achieved success as the population must have doubled since then.