Plastic pollution has become a critical issue in the Caribbean, where waste management challenges contribute to severe marine litter. With an average of 2,014 litter items per kilometer—compared to the global average of 573—the most common plastic litter found in the region includes plastic bottles, single-use items, and foam containers. Approximately 322,745 tons of plastic waste go uncollected annually, exacerbating the problem. 

The "Prevention of Plastic Waste in the Seas of Central America and the Caribbean" (Caribe Circular) project aims to strengthen regional capacities, promote knowledge exchange, and implement integrated measures to prevent plastic waste. As a core method, the Waste Flow Diagram (WFD) was applied in five Caribbean countries to assess plastic leakage in the region. The cities of Belmopan (Belize), Isla Holbox (Mexico), Mahahual (Mexico), Omoa (Honduras), Puerto Barrios / Izabal (Guatemala), and Samaná / Santa Barbara (Dominican Republic) now have case studies with assessments of key leakage hotspots. 

Ángel Sorto, a resident of Omoa, Honduras, who has worked in environmental and local development projects for 21 years, emphasizes the impact of implementing the Waste Flow Diagram: 

“Implementing the tool was important to address issues that hadn’t been covered throughout the entire waste management process, such as plastic leakage during collection and transportation stages, which ends up in bodies of water, polluting nature. This allowed us to consider new criteria to improve decision-making at the municipal level.” 

To expand the plastic leakage assessment, the Caribe Circular Project conducted several training sessions for technical staff from local governments, environmental ministries, nonprofit environmental organizations, and universities, establishing a baseline for the municipalities. This same training is now available on the Atingi Platform in Spanish and it will soon be available on the Waste Flow Diagram website in English. 

The training is offered free of charge to anyone interested in learning the Waste Flow Diagram and enables participants to quantify waste flows, visualize data on a digital platform, and simulate improvement scenarios. Beyond the Caribbean, it supports practical waste solutions worldwide by helping users communicate results effectively to stakeholders. 

References 

Diez, S.M., Patil, P.G., Morton, J., Rodriguez, D.J., Vanzella, A., Robin, D.V., Maes, T., Corbin, C. (2019). Marine Pollution in the Caribbean: Not a  Minute to Waste. Washington, D.C. : World Bank Group