







REPORTING FROM MEXICO CITY -- A recent cleanup of trash on a scenic Mexican beach seemed to confirm what many there thought: Most of the plastic garbage comes from outside Mexico.

The Times recently highlighted the plastics pollution that plagues Mahahual, a beach town that sits on a largely undeveloped and ecologically rich stretch of Mexico’s Caribbean coast. Debris is washed up by currents that carry floating garbage like a giant conveyor, reflecting a much bigger phenomenon of ocean-borne plastic trash around the world.

The Feb. 25 cleanup, a one-day event organized by a green-marketing firm in Mexico City called Sustenta.com, collected more than 6 tons of trash and allowed participants to examine pieces for signs of where it came from.

The answer: all over. Cuba. Venezuela. Honduras. China. Brazil.The United States. Haiti. Jamaica. The Netherlands. Pretty much everywhere but Mexico.