San Felipe Targets Litter as Trash Builds Up

Trash is becoming a growing eyesore in Orange Walk, and the San Felipe Village Council is now calling on residents to step up and help keep the community clean. Last month, the council took to social media to express concern over ongoing littering, especially at the village entrance and central park, warning that the buildup of garbage is hurting the town’s image. Despite repeated clean‑up efforts by volunteers and council members, trash continues to reappear in these public spaces. The council is making it clear that improper garbage disposal can result in fines, and residents are being urged to take responsibility for keeping their community clean. Earlier today, we spoke with Vice Chairman Ricardo Domínguez, who shared how residents can do their part to keep the village clean.

 

On the Phone: Ricardo Dominguez, Vice Chairperson, San Felipe Village

“We used to have a dump for  garbage. But we just have it like for a portion of time because the owner of the land give us permission, but all of the time he goes to his land, people are throwing the garbage outside of the dump site. So he decide to close it. So after, after that, people, they just decide, okay, this is a good place to dump the garbage. They don’t care if it is, the road side or other places. We have our own truck, we’ll pull it up with the garbage and go dump it to a legal place, which I think is good. And then I spend more time, more money. Because the truck only charge you five dollars a week in the in San Felipe. And I think nobody will do that for that price. And then he goes all around every week like Mondays, he goes around the village and picking up, picking the garbage up and then who want to pay the pay for a no. But a lot of people, they think their time and they just fill their truck and do it on the roadside. Which they have right now is in the entrance of the village, and that’s not so good. Not, it doesn’t look so nice. A lot of people that will see, they don’t want to get themself into problems and then they won’t say the name, who is doing it.”

 

Britney Gordon

“Okay. How are you guys addressing it then in terms of getting the area cleaned up and stopping people from doing it?”

 

On the Phone: Ricardo Dominguez

“Normally when that happen we normally get our own time and do it right. And then we hire, let’s say like a tractor last time, MIDH can come and do it. They clean it very well and then it’s all over again the same way. It’s mess up again.”