GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Jun 5, CMC – The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Trinidad-based Caribbean Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) have called for action to help the region beat plastic pollution.
In separate messages marking World Environment Day, CARICOM Secretary General, Dr. Carla Barnett and CARPHA urged the regional community to adopt more sustainable practices to secure the health of future generations.
CARPHA noted that in the Caribbean region, mainly characterised by small developing large ocean states, over 320,000 tons of plastic waste remain uncollected yearly.
“Plastic litter in our region is almost four times the global average. The largest generator of single use plastic waste in the world is the packaging sector, which accounts for 36 per cent of all plastics produced, with 85 per cent of single-use food and beverage containers ending up in landfills, or polluting our oceans, soils and delicate ecosystems,” it said.
“While plastics are useful and essential for some sectors, their mismanagement has become a public health and environment issue. Pathways allow microplastics and toxic chemicals from plastics to crossover into our food chain, affecting seafood with consequences to our health,” said CARPHA’s executive director, Dr Lisa Indar.
“CARPHA recommends multisector action as plastic pollution crosscuts many sectors – together, we can protect our health, our environment and our future,” she added.
The CARICOM Secretary General said plastic pollution has wide-ranging consequences for CARICOM states, threatening marine biodiversity, including sea turtles, seabirds, and fish as well as coral reefs which are vital to marine life and coastal protection.
“Plastic pollution harms the fishing industry, a critical source of food and livelihoods in many CARICOM countries. Lost fishing gear and plastic waste can damage equipment. Moreover, cleaning up plastic waste places a significant financial burden on local governments, diverting resources from other essential services.
“Open burning of plastic waste releases toxic chemicals into the air, while microplastics can enter the food chain through seafood consumption, potentially leading to negative health effects,” Barnett said.
She said that the Caribbean Sea has high levels of plastic pollution and is receiving attention at the highest levels of decision making in CARICOM, through policy, advocacy, and collaboration.
She noted that the Declaration adopted by regional leaders at their summit in St. Lucia in 2019 addressed the high levels of plastics and microplastics in the Caribbean Sea, and their adverse impact on Caribbean sustainable development.
Additionally, since 2023, the issue of plastics management has been on the agenda of CARICOM Environment Ministers to coordinate CARICOM engagement during negotiations of a new global legally binding treaty to reduce plastic pollution, Barnett said.
She said many CARICOM countries have introduced legislation or policies to restrict or ban certain plastic products and that this action is supported by the Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism (CAST) and the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) which have launched the “Plastic-Free Caribbean” initiative, which encourages hotels and tourism businesses to phase out single-use plastics.
The Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM), a CARICOM institution, is working with member states to address “ghost fishing gear”, which refers to abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear (ALDFG), many of which contain plastics, and which remain in ocean space, trapping marine life, damaging ecosystems, and contributing to ocean pollution.
”The threat to our natural environment remains real and the impact on the health and livelihoods of our people cannot be ignored. On this World Environment Day, CARICOM remains engaged and committed to tackling this pressing environmental challenge,” Barnett said.
Meanwhile, the Officer in Charge at CARPHA’ Environmental Health and Sustainable Development Department, Shane Kirton, said the region can benefit from access to green financing that ensures a transition away from high levels of plastic dependence.
Kirton said additionally, global partnerships must be leveraged and scalable solutions developed, implemented and appropriately evaluated.
CARPHA said that many of its member states have already taken significant policy actions to combat plastic pollution by implementing bans on single-use plastics and Styrofoam.
In 2021, CARICOM launched a regional strategy to reduce the generation and impact of plastic waste on the marine environment and human health – Clean Seas Caribbean.
The Caribbean’s involvement in, and copious preparation for the UN Global Plastic Pollution Treaty negotiations highlight the commitment of regional leaders to a coordinated global response.
“While progress is encouraging, accelerating action through stronger policies, finance and investment in green technologies and public engagement will be crucial to achieving a future where plastic production, consumption and waste are sustainably managed,” CARPHA noted.
CMC/ah/ir/2025