Update March, 2012: In 2011 we submitted a proposal to the Solid Waste Authority to create a plastic recycling project in the Piñones area but was not approved by the Solid Waste Authority. The proposal included PAE plastics collected from the plastic crushing machine that we were going to buy to make pellets and creating final products with this plastic, by injection. JAL Plastics was the company that would work with the production of plastic end products, but the proposal was not approved by problems of ownership.  Who would have ownership of the machine?, was a problem we had if we asked for funds, because we had to have the machine.  JAL Plastics, then had some situations, where it is not approved funding to JAL Plastics and the community had no room to place the machine as it was a big industrial machine then those were the main problems we had. Anyway, we are waiting for the year 2011-12 restart talks to create an alternative to recycling because Piñones is one of the areas of increased discarding of materials to the streets and water areas in the metro area by the number of businesses and kiosks there. A major problem is the disposal of plastic over everything.

Update January 2011: As part of our 2011 fiscal year work plan the SJBEP is exploring the possibility of including a recycling campaign in our budget for the Piñones community in Loíza.

Previous Update: Although this project was not successful, it provided valuable information as to what could work more effectively.   The SJBEP is committed to establishing the project once again, but will wait for a more clear duty establishment and an effective project team.

Update March, 2012: The SJBEP frequently carries coastal cleanup activities in different parts of the SJBE such as Palo Seco, La Esperanza, Piñones and Isla de Cabras. In January 2011 we completed our most recent coastal cleanup in Isla de Cabras in the Western side of the San Juan Bay. The Port Authority collects aquatic debris from piers in Old San Juan and the San Juan Bay.

The SJBEP is frequently carrying out a series of educational campaigns in the media. The aim of these pubic service campaigns is to effectively increase public awareness regarding the natural and recreational value of the San Juan Bay Estuary. In 2009-2010 the Program received an average of $750,000 worth of free airtime in the media.

In January 2011 we completed a coastal cleanup in Isla de Cabras in the Western side of the San Juan Bay.

Update January 2010:  The SJBEP conducts ongoing cleanup activities in the San Juan Bay watershed area. Among the latest is a beach cleaning activity at Escambrón beach in SJ with SJBE volunteers and employees of the Caribe Hilton Hotel in October 2009. One of the most attractive activities for our volunteers is the cleanup of the island La Esperanza in Cataño, we are coordinating the 4th annual cleaning of the island, to be held in June 2010.

Previous updates:  As with other CCMP actions, this is an ongoing activity for the SJBEP.  In 2003, the Program served as site coordinator for the International Coastal Cleanup, organized by The Ocean Conservancy.  The SJBEP will continue to participate in this activity and is planning to engage communities in eight different areas in the estuary's watershed.  The Program also collaborates with other efforts throughout the year, either as an active partner or as technical advisor.

Update March, 2012: The amount of garbage and sediment built up in the Islote de la Guachinanga is obstructing the flow of water in the Western axis of the San José Lagoon. As part of a collaborative agreement both the SJBEP and the Península de Cantera Project will invest an average of $200,000 to dredge the channel that currently connects the Islote de la Guachinanga to the Cantera Peninsula in order to improve its water quality. Every year the Cantera community carries out the Festival de la Guachinanga. The San Juan Estuary Program EPA funds requested and approved a total of $ 110,000 to dredging the Islote de la Guachinanga, because at this point, cleaning is not enough.  The community did the process of cleaning the Islote de la Guachinanga, for at least 15 years.  The discharge of sediment reaching the Quebrada Juan Mendez, who is there right next to the Islote de la Guachinanga, has been deposited over the years and we are already at the level of need dredging. There are problems of sediment, aquatic weed problems and garbage. We have reached a time when the Islote de la Guachinanga Cantera has joined with sediment and debris and aquatic weeds and this has resulted in the growth of mangrove trees and are joining the Islote de la Guachinanga to Cantera. This has created an easement that gives access to feral cats, dogs, also rats that have been mostly eating the eggs of birds. Finished with the colonies of herons that were in the Islote de la Guachinanga among other species. This year we signed a collaborative agreement in 2012 specifically between the DNR, Cantera Peninsula Project and San Juan Bay Estuary Program, where Cantera and SJBE Program has placed funds. The community located $ 110,000 in state funding for the project and the Estuary Program $ 110,000. We have a total of $ 220,000 that is going to be investing in that project. In March 2012, we expect to open the "request for proposals" to carry out this project.  The project has three components: the removal of aquatic weeds, the education component, we will be educational panels and installing the dredging component. A small dredging but the idea is to separate the Islote de la Guachinanga.

The SJBEP also provides educational material to the neighborhood council for the festival.

Update January 2010:   On 15 December 2009 the Office of the Governor of Puerto Rico informed the SJBEP the approval of $200,000 to perform an aquatic debris clean up project in the area near the Guachinanga island and in the mouth of the Caño Martín Peña. The SJBEP must identify $100,000 in matching funds.

Previous update:  The SJBEP is currently working with the Cantera community to ensure that this activity takes place.  Even though it was not possible to implement this action during the past two years, the Program did ensure the educational aspect during the week of the Festival.  The SJBEP has served as the technical advisor and principal partner during the planning process throughout the history of the activity.

Update March, 2012: The P2 exists there and the Solid Waste Authority have concentrated on a few pilot projects in various hotels in the metropolitan area and the island to minimize their impact.  They promote water reuse, recycling projects, management oil, that's basically what the P2 project mostly is in hotels and restaurants on the Island and the majority in the metro area.  Basically an average of 10 in the Island.  We have a partnership with the Caribe Hilton and do activities, as cleanups.  They have won awards worldwide for its recycling projects and environmental awareness.  We are working on the assessment of the impact of any of these practices in the estuary system in the San Juan Bay.

Update Jan, 2010: The Executive Director of the SJBEP worked from 1995 until 2009 in the Board of Directors of Business and Industry Pro Recycling (ICPRO), in the development of projects geared towards solid waste pollution prevention, with emphasis in the SJBE