SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — When it rains, Tijuana’s Matadero Canyon drains into the U.S., and along with it go tons of plastic bottles, tires, trash and other debris.
The current goes under the border barrier through grates and drains per a long-standing agreement between both countries.
The materials that make it north of the border pollute the Tijuana River Valley just north of the border and ultimately the Pacific Ocean.
Wildcoast, a San Diego-based environmental group, has been lobbying the Mexican government to allow the installation of a second trash-collecting boom along the canyon.
A few years ago, it installed the first of these devices with great success.
This week, the installation of the second boom was completed. It looks like a giant volleyball net that spans the canal in the canyon.
“It’s a very problematic canyon,” said Wildcoast spokeswoman Fay Crevoshay. “These trash booms are a very economical way to of having a big impact because we stop plastics, tires and we plan to do more because we see the impact.”
Boom installed in canal along Matadero Canyon. (Courtesy: Wildcoast)
Crevoshay stated the booms are just a part of the education program south of the border teaching residents and lawmakers about the importance of recycling.
“In many neighborhoods, trash pick-up is sporadic, we’re teaching people that plastics and tires are not trash,” she said.
Crevoshay said Wildcoast is employing many people who live along the canyon to gather and sort plastic bottles before the rains hit.
“When the first rain comes, it’s going to be a tsunami of plastic.”
There are similar booms north of the border also sponsored and maintained by Wildcoast.
One of them is directly north of Matadero Canyon in an area known as Goat Canyon.
“We have stopped 50,000 kilos, about 110,000 pounds of plastics,” Crevoshay said. “These materials would have flowed into the Tijuana River Valley and then the ocean.”
Crevoshay tells Border Report Wildcoast is not done installing booms south of the border.
“We want to install two more, Matadero Canyon is very long.”
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