2025-02-06 - Channel 5 Belize

Bottle Recycling: An Honest Way to Make Money

Every day, people around the world experience the direct effects of climate change, from more intense natural disasters to prolonged heat waves. This has made green initiatives like recycling a popular way for individuals to contribute to saving the planet. But recycling isn’t just about being eco-friendly. In tonight’s episode of Belize on Reel, News Five’s Britney Gordon discovers how many Belizeans are turning recycling into a way to earn money while also helping to clean up their country. Here’s the story.

Britney Gordon, Reporting

By 8:30 a.m., the Bowen and Bowen compound in Belize City is buzzing with activity. Workers are busy hauling away stacks of crates and bags filled with hundreds of empty bottles for processing. But where do all these bottles come from? They come from dedicated collectors like Alfonso Mejia, who gather and resell them to the company.

Alfonso Mejia, Bottle Reseller

“Well it’s hard work. You have to go and pick up all about and at the same time you buy and make you load. Maybe one time every fifteen days.”

Britney Gordon

“Where do you collect these bottles from?”

Alfonso Mejia

“Well, all in Belize. And I buy too.”

For about twenty years, Alfonso Mejia has been collecting and reselling bottles. He gathers both glass and plastic bottles, selling them for fifteen or twenty-five cents each, depending on the type. While it’s not a fortune, it’s enough to keep sixty-five-year-old Mejia coming back, especially as physical labor becomes tougher with age.

Alfonso Mejia

“I cannot work hard anymore like when I was young. So I have to dedicate myself in other things. It gives you money instant and I you don;t work to hard. You do your own job. Because while another person is working the whole day. But then with this, you just come make you lee money fast. Quick.”

After inspection, the company cleans and sanitizes glass bottles for reuse, while plastic bottles are compacted and sold abroad for recycling. Tricia Thompson, a mother of three, says the program has been a tremendous help for her family.

Tricia Thompson, Bottle Reseller

“ I was working at the Burrel Boom sanitation spot for a while, just, you know, watching everybody, and I said, I’ve noticed that when you bring them to Bowen, you get a little extra more, and it helps me, because I have kids and everything, so it’s, it just helps make life a little easier.”

For about three years, Tricia Thompson has been selling bottles, and she estimates that she sells over eight thousand bottles every week.

Tricia Thompson

“ What we do, we have to get our crates. And then we have to separate them into each crates. If da coke, with coke. If da Sprite with Sprite. you know. And then they come count the crates and then we go and receive our money.”

Britney Gordon

“How does that differ from the process for plastic bottles?”

Tricia Thompson

“Well, plastic, we have to count them off when we’re at the work site. Then we bag them off and we come here. We tell them how many bags we have and sometimes they check them. And then we just say how much we have and we get paid at the counter.”

The bottles come from various sources. Mejia collects some himself and buys others, while Thompson gathers hers from work. Another collector, Luis Enrique Lainez, buys his bottles from the government. Today, he brought in a whopping six thousand bottles.

Voice of: Luis Enrique Lainez, Bottle Reseller

“I do a recycling process where the government put in a process. I de da three miles. When we buy it, from people who di circuit it right there, and we pay the government, what what tariff make we take all them plastic from them.”

Lainez explained that he sorts and tallies up the bottles, then pays a fee to the collectors and the government. He’s been buying bottles this way for over twenty years.

Voice of: Luis Enrique Lainez

“It bring me a lot of benefit because from that I could buy stuff for my kids. And for that, I purchase things for school today and everything.”

Every morning, Frederick Neal, a dedicated Bowen and Bowen employee, is on hand to help sellers with the unloading process. He’s there bright and early, ensuring everything runs smoothly for the bottle collectors.

Frederic Neal, Bowen & Bowen Employee

“Usually I am out here with my supervisor talking to people, telling them how to put, how to organize the pints. And we usually get the crates for them in the morning, and we bring it out here for them to shuffle, and we just show them what to do.”

Britney Gordon

“And what is the busiest time of day, and how many people do you estimate that you see during that time?”

Frederic Neal

“I have to serve maybe like a hundred and fifty people every morning. And the busiest time will be from nine-thirty to like ten thirty.”

Every day is a new adventure for Neal at the site, as he meets a mix of new people and familiar faces. There’s always something different happening, keeping his workday interesting and dynamic.

Frederic Neal

“It’s all kind of thing every time. Sometimes people will bring their pints if someone is in the way. If it’s too busy, it will be a hassle.”

Britney Gordon

“What’s your favorite part of, doing this kind of work?”

Frederic Neal

“I like this job because I get to help Belizean people that don’t have it like that and this is an opportunity for them to make a little money.”

For most people, what happens to a bottle after finishing their drink isn’t a big deal. But for some, it’s a vital source of income.

Tricia Thompson

“Well actually this has changed my life a lot because I was struggling as a mother and this just made it much more easier.”

Britney Gordon for News Five.

Confiscated Drugs Destroyed in San Pedro

On Wednesday morning, San Pedro police carried out a drug destruction operation at the cemetery, burning a significant quantity of illegal substances seized on Ambergris Caye. The operation, approved by Commissioner of Police Chester Williams, was witnessed by representatives from the magistracy and the National Forensics Science Services. The incinerated drugs included approximately three kilograms of cannabis, six kilograms of cocaine, 374 grams of crack cocaine, and 3.6 kilograms of hashish. The burn consisted of both found property and court-concluded exhibits.

San Ignacio Family Seeks Financial Assistance for Accident Victim

The family of a San Ignacio resident is urgently seeking financial help for a lifesaving surgery. Alfredo Novelo shared with News Five that his son, Josue Novelo, was in a traffic accident on Sunday morning while riding his motorcycle home. Josue is now hospitalized at the Western Regional Hospital, with a ten-thousand-dollar surgery scheduled for next week. Unfortunately, his family can’t afford the cost. We spoke with his father over the phone to learn more about their situation.

On The Phone: Alfredo Novelo, Father of Accident Victim

“It was this past Saturday night, he was at a friend’s house in San Ignacio and it was a little late. His mom was calling him to come home, because it was already about two in the morning. He answered and say yeah he is coming. But he decided to come about three in the morning. So about three thirty we got a knock on our door form a police officer that knows us. He is a close member to the family. He knocked on the door and said Mr. Novelo I have bad news for you. We found your son by the new bridge and it looked like he crashed the motorcycle and he is broken up. His hand and his foot and maybe his back, but he is all broken up. That is how we found out he got in the accident. Financially we would really appreciate help form anybody that could assist us. The operation is going to cost ten thousand dollars and that is very difficult for the families. So we are asking friends and families if they can support for us to do the operation as quick as possible. He is talking about Monday, or Tuesday or somewhere around there.”

National Health Insurance Coming to Belmopan

On Tuesday, the National Health Insurance (NHI) team met with medical professionals in Belmopan to talk about rolling out NHI in the area. The government is getting ready to accept bids from primary care providers to serve Belmopan residents under the NHI program. They aim to have NHI available across the entire Cayo District by mid-2025. Minister of Health and Wellness, Kevin Bernard, shared more details about the plan for nationwide coverage.

Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health & Wellness

“As you are aware, the rollout of the entire district has commenced. There have been consultations that is taking place. The plan is that by the end of this year, we should have NHI across the entire country. So there is a process. I think that in May, we are looking at targeting the Cayo side and then Belmopan city, and then we go on to the other surrounding villages because Cayo district is very huge. It is our hope that by the end of the year, as I said, we would have full coverage of NHI across te entire country.”

Belize and Mexico Renewing MOU for Child Cancer Care

In November, Minister of Health and Wellness Kevin Bernard and Special Envoy for the Development of Families and Children Rosanna Briceño met with health officials to discuss Belize’s Memorandum of Understanding with Merida’s Hospital Horan. The government aims to provide treatment access for juvenile cancer patients in Belize and eventually expand to adult radiotherapy. Minister Bernard shared an update on this important initiative.

Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health & Wellness

“There was an MOU that had existed that had expired. We have gone into, myself my CEO and Dr. Musa, along with my Special Envoy for families and children, we visited the Iran hospital executive team. We wanted to go earlier, but due to their transition change of presidents and the organization management team had some shifts. So we had a very successful meeting earlier this year with them. We are at the final stage of renewing that MOU. They are providing support, continuous support services for our children, young children who need that service. However, we wanted to also, we went to speak with them to see how they can assist further with women who need that service. We haven’t been able to sign to that yet because as they are, they have said as well, they have to look at the capacity that they can afford. And so with the expansion that they’re doing in Merida, then we will be able to sit down back, hopefully by the end of this year, early next year to look at that support that can come for our females. But the ministry is always looking at ways and means how we can continue to support those affected by this very dreadful disease. And we remain committed to ensure that we continue to build that partnership with the Horan Hospital, but at the same time continue to support these organizations, these local organizations in being able to have support as well, services for these persons suffering from these illnesses.”

Bernard Responds to Psychiatric Medicine Shortage

Recently, there have been reports of a shortage of Risperidone in Belize. This medication is crucial for treating psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia because it’s both affordable and effective. We spoke with the Minister of Health and Wellness, Kevin Bernard, about the ministry’s plan to tackle this shortage.

Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health and Wellness

“If you’re referring to patients suffering from mental illness, there has been some issues but the Ministry continuously tries our very best to procure these medications in a timely manner. There are times that it’s very out of our control. But just recently, I know we, we recently ordered some of these urgent medications. These are very delicate medications and we are making sure we can make these available in a very timely manner. I cannot speak much to that, but I can tell you that we are doing very everything possible to ensure that we have supply in the country so that we’re able to attend to our patients that needs these services. Now, we have people that are host at the Palm View Center and other facilities that we do provide these services. The demand and supply chain sometimes constantly disrupts our medication supplies. And so we have to look around and see how best we can address those things. But let me assure those persons and those families that we’re doing our very best to ensure that we have those medication supplies so we can provide to those who need them.”

How is Belize Handling the USA’s Pause of Foreign Health Aid?

Since his inauguration a few weeks ago, President Donald Trump has cut funding for several foreign aid initiatives. This decision has impacted various programs in Belize, especially those providing healthcare assistance. We spoke with Minister of Health, Kevin Bernard, to find out how Belize plans to continue offering modern healthcare to its citizens despite the loss of additional funding.

Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health & Wellness

“Well remember that we continue to benefit from the technical support that these people will provide. And while the U.S. pulled away, I think it’s just a temporary pulling away, I’m pretty sure, from the World Health Organization, Belize continues to benefit from many other things, but we are doing our part. And this is the reason why the NHI rolled out the being provided to our citizens to be able to help people have access to free primary health care, almost free. Secondary fees that we have removed across this country also give access to health care. Ms. Kim, Simplis Barrow mentioned in her message today. that we want to see the barriers removed for women to have access to HPV [vaccines]. And it is a fact that we have removed those barriers, and this is the reason why health care access is affordable in this country. So despite that challenge, we will continue to do what we can to ensure that we move our country forward and to continue to build a resilient health system. And as I said, the health system is not just built on the funding, but it’s also built on the resilience and the technical support that the corporation will get from other stakeholders like PAHO. They have been very instrumental in looking at our strengthening of our strategic plan, our new revised health plan that we are launching very soon. That is the commitment that we have. The elimination of cervical cancer is a commitment that Belize has put forward and many other things that we want we want to achieve over the next few years. It is important to understand that despite what is happening in the U.S. and around those issues. We continue to remain steadfast, focused, and determined to improve health care in this country.”

Cervical Cancer: Preventable and Curable

Belize is facing a worrying rise in cervical cancer cases, a disease that is entirely preventable. Despite this, it’s still one of the most common cancers affecting women worldwide, especially in low-income countries like Belize. To tackle this pressing issue, the Belize Cancer Society, the Ministry of Health, and the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) came together today to host the Empowering Women and Girls against Cervical Cancer Awareness Forum in Belize City. Our very own News Five’s Britney Gordon was on the scene to bring us the latest updates from the event.

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Cervical cancer claims over thirty-four thousand lives each year in the Americas, and Belize unfortunately has one of the highest rates of both incidents and deaths in the region. The good news is that this disease is treatable and even curable, especially when detected early. To help combat this serious issue, the Belize Cancer Society hosted a cervical cancer awareness forum today, aiming to educate women on the crucial steps they can take to eliminate cervical cancer in Belize.

Kim Simplis-Barrow, President, Belize Cancer Society

“So today we are hosting the cervical cancer forum for women and girls against cervical cancer and this, of course, this event is to create awareness and to empower women. We had the official opening this morning, and this afternoon we’ll be doing HPV testing and vaccination in partnership with the Ministry of Health and PAHO.”

The main culprit behind cervical cancer is the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), a virus that’s spread through sexual contact. At today’s forum, attendees had the opportunity to get free testing and vaccinations, making it easier than ever to take proactive steps against this preventable disease.

Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health & Wellness

“It’s also very important to also note that young boys can also carry the virus and pass it on to a female. And it is about education, it’s about caring, and I think the forum will also allow for persons who have gone through this issue and survived the, this dreadful disease. to share their experiences and to encourage others to take advantage of the support that is available to them.”

Great news for Belizeans! The HPV vaccine is available at no cost and is highly recommended for girls aged nine to fourteen. This is a fantastic opportunity to protect our young generation from cervical cancer right from the start.

Kevin Bernard

“We started when, remember, the vaccine was implemented in Belize way back in 2016. It had a cost at the time. But in 2023 when it was actually relaunched after Covid we have seen much more personal taking on the vaccines and we encourage people to continue to take that vaccine. As I said cervical cancer, which is highlighted in this world is preventable. It’s a disease that can be prevented it can be managed. And so we want to encourage people, and this form is about that. It’s about making sure you bring awareness the effects of cervical cancer. It’s also to bring awareness to females who can end up with that situation.”

The event featured an impressive lineup of panelists, including an oncologist, a non-communicable disease specialist, and a powerful testimony from a survivor.

Kim Simplis-Barrow

“The Belize Cancer Society, of course, our mandate is to advocate and empower women and girls and men and boys against cancer. It was very important because cancer is one of the most treatable and preventable diseases, cancers. And so for us, it’s very important to, as we reflect on where we are as a country in terms of cervical cancer, to do more so that we can really and truly eliminate cervical cancer in Belize.”

By spreading the word and encouraging regular screenings, Belizeans can save the lives of countless women and girls, while also easing the burden on our healthcare system.

Kevin Bernard

“Belize signed on to the elimination initiative for cervical cancer, and that’s where we want to go. By the end of 2030, it’s a global challenge that we all signed on to see that we could eliminate cancer, cervical cancer, across the globe.”

Britney Gordon for News Five.

A New USpace Comes to the Twin Towns

To wrap up tonight’s newscast, we’re excited to share the opening of a new USpace in San Ignacio. This initiative, driven by the Ministry of Education and UNICEF, aims to provide students with a vibrant space to learn, experiment, and innovate using digital tools. Now, let’s hear more from News Five’s Isani Cayetano.

Isani Cayetano, Reporting

The Government of Belize and UNICEF are continuing their mission to roll out USpaces across the country. This exciting initiative, spearheaded by the Ministry of Education, has already brought these innovative facilities to the Stann Creek and Toledo districts. Recently, the twin towns of San Ignacio and Santa Elena celebrated the inauguration of their very own USpace. Leading the charge is Namrita Balani, the Director of Science and Technology.

Namrita Balani, Director, Science and Technology

“We all had moments where we wish we had been exposed earlier, encouraged more and given a space to explore. That’s why we decided that USpace had to be more than just a room with tables and chairs, and computers. It needs to be a space where education, culture and technology meet, creating an environment where students can explore new ideas, connect with their heritage and use technology to experiment and innovate. A space where students can be exposed to new opportunities, a space where they can create in a safe environment, a space where they can innovate and discover the paths they never knew existed.”

Cayo Northeast Area Representative Orlando Habet, whose constituency proudly hosts the newest USpace, was present for the brief but meaningful opening ceremony.

Orlando Habet, Area Representative, Cayo Northeast

“I know that these initiatives are very special. I know looking at the social component where it says that the core feature of USpace is to provide a supervised and safe environment where children can engage in organized activities designed to encourage play for social interaction, learning and self-expression. Very, very, very, very important. We see what happens in our communities many times, young people don’t have those spaces where they can interact with their peers. And we have a saying that we’ve heard many times before that says, “an idle mind is the devil’s workshop.”

To keep students excited and engaged, they’ve created an environment that’s perfect for learning, experimenting, and creating. This effort has the full backing of UNICEF.

Natasha Mantock, Education Officer, UNICEF

“Today, we gather to celebrate a milestone in our digital transformation agenda under the theme, “Connection to underscore the critical need for safe, child-friendly spaces where access and services to resources are needed for children to succeed. Our pivotal USpaces are leveraging technology to transform and accelerate learning and skills development represents a paradigm shift. We’re leapfrogging traditional methods to embrace digital innovation for every child wherever they live, wherever they learn. For this reason, UNICEF’s collaboration with the Ministry of Education, NICH and the Belize National Library Services continues to expand as it contributes to the realization of the right of every child.”

Isani Cayetano for News Five.

New Bill Threatens Fines and Jail Time for Misusing Belize’s National Symbols

The Government of Belize is expected to introduce the National Symbols Bill, 2025, which aims to formally establish and regulate the use of Belize’s national symbols. The bill outlines legal protections for key national emblems, including the national flag, national anthem, coat of arms, and other designated symbols such as the black orchid (national flower), keel-billed toucan (national bird), and Baird’s tapir (national animal).

Under the proposed law, the copyright for the national anthem, national flag, and coat of arms will be vested in the government, meaning their use will be strictly controlled. Any business or individual wishing to reproduce or sell items featuring these symbols will be required to obtain a government licence. However, educational and religious institutions, as well as official ceremonies, will be exempt from this requirement.

The bill also criminalises the unauthorised use and defacement of national symbols. Individuals who misuse or sell unlicensed representations of the National Flag or Coat of Arms.

Unauthorized commercial use, sale, or display of Belize’s National Flag or Coat of Arms without a government-issued license will be punishable by a $1,000 fine or up to one year in prison. Licensed users who violate their permit conditions will face similar penalties. Additionally, mutilating, defacing, or altering the National Flag or Coat of Arms without legal authority is also an offense, carrying the same penalties. For ongoing violations, offenders may be fined $100 per day until compliance is met.

Additionally, the bill grants the Minister of Culture the authority to make regulations on the proper use of the National Flag, imposition of royalties on commercial use of national symbols, and preservation of the National Flower in public spaces.

Businesses currently using national symbols will have a six-month grace period to comply with the new licensing requirements.

The National Symbols Bill, 2025, if passed, will create a legal framework to protect Belize’s national identity, ensuring respectful and appropriate use of its symbols while generating revenue for their continued promotion and preservation.