SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (CNN) - This week, astounding images surfaced of trash as far as the eye could see on the beaches of Santo Domingo.
Personnel from the Dominican Ministry for Public Works are continuing to clean the litter.
In total, about 520 tons of trash have been collected from the beach over a period of nine days.
Parley for the Oceans, a non-governmental organization, shared images showing waves of trash in the water on the Malecon area of Santo Domingo.
According to people associated with the organization, this happens every time heavy rain hits the area.
The non-governmental organization said Friday they collected 30 tons of plastic in three days and will continue its cleanup mission.
Most of the plastic collected will go to a landfill, with some of it being reused to create recycled products.
It is estimated that by the end of the cleanup work, some 950 tons of trash will have been collected from the beach.
By 2050, there will be more trash in the world's oceans than fish unless something is done to change trends, and because of all the plastic litter in the oceans, plastics are entering the food chain, the UN's Environment Program said.
