More than 150 million tons of plastic particles are currently floating in our oceans or have already made their way to the sea floor, coating coral reefs and aquatic plants or sinking into the soil. Each year, an additional 8 million tons of plastics leak into the oceans, namely single-use plastic packaging. This amount is equivalent to one garbage truck of plastics entering the oceans every minute, a rate which is expected to double within the next 20 years. 

The Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Colombia, British Virgin Islands, St. Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Suriname, not only share their access to the Caribbean Sea, but also several economic characteristics: tourism, fisheries and maritime transport are of central importance. However, these industries all produce large amounts of waste, namely Fast Moving Consumer Goods wrapped in single-use plastic packaging. Inadequate collection and disposal have given rise to wide-spread public concerns about pollution levels and marine debris in the Caribbean Sea.

Four work packages (WP) including a wide range of marine litter mitigation activities were carried out under PROMAR. The project team, in coordination with local authorities, initiated a monitoring system for waste streams (WP I), tested and replicated Circular Economy solutions (WP II), raised awareness of the litter problem among stakeholders (WP III), and finally promoted the concept of EPR at a national and regional level and supported a policy dialogue on the issue (WP IV).