Big Plans to Reduce Plastic Pollution Here

The Central American country of Panama is making bold commitments to reduce plastic pollution on its territory over the next decade as plastic production largely contributes to climate change.

“We applaud Panama’s leadership in tackling plastic pollution,” states Jacqueline Savitz, Chief Policy Officer at Oceana, the world’s largest international advocacy organization dedicated solely to ocean conservation. “Panama’s efforts to aggressively tackle plastic pollution at the source send a strong signal to the rest of the world. We hope other nations participating in the Our Ocean conference will make equally meaningful commitments.”

As the second largest waste producer in Latin America, Panama announced its plan to reduce plastic pollution – including the generation of 191,580 tons of plastic waste each year – during the 8^th annual Our Ocean conference held in its capital. In three years, the use of single-use plastic items, including utensils and cups, will be eliminated. In five years, the importation and consumption of plastic packaging will be reduced by 30%. In seven years, the importation of virgin plastic will be reduced by 20%. And in ten years, the sale and importation of single-use plastic and virgin plastic will be reduced by 50%. Panama is following in the footsteps of Canada, Chile, and the American state of California, which all vowed to reduce the production and sale of unnecessary single-use plastics.