A Region Of Extremes: Why Latin America And The Caribbean Is Primed For Solutions In The Plastic Circular Economy

Plastic pollution is a unique environmental crisis in that it is a global problem with local solutions. That means if we want to solve it, then we have to implement a multi-regional, multifaceted approach that accounts for the different challenges faced by different parts of the world. We have to drive capital to those local enterprises that can help build the local, regional and ultimately global recycling supply chains needed.

And we’ve known for some time that getting the recipe right in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) will go a long way to solving the global problem. Recycling rates in the LAC region lag far behind the rest of the world. What’s more, per a UNEP report, Latin America and the Caribbean generate approximately 10% of all generated global waste, making it second after East Asia and Pacific. The report also states that only 10% of waste is currently reused through recycling or other recovery techniques and the region’s current waste generation will increase at least 25% by 2025.