OECS Media Release -The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), with funding from the European Union, through the Agence Française de Développement, has embarked on a new initiative, the Recycle OECS Project, which will focus on the development and implementation of a recyclable plastic waste collection and treatment programme in the OECS. The overall objective is to define and develop a financially, self-sustainable plastic waste management model from collection to recycling, that can be adapted to the local context of OECS Member States in which it is being implemented.
Plastic pollution is a major problem in the Eastern Caribbean. According to the World Bank report, Marine Pollution in the Caribbean, Not a Minute to Waste, solid waste generated in the Wider Caribbean Region (WCR), on average contains 12% plastic.
Additionally, Caribbean data from beach and coastal clean-ups in 2017 indicate that plastic beverage bottles account for 21% of all garbage collected.
