To tackle growing plastic pollution, MarViva and the Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions (BRS Secretariat) are promoting a regional project in Colombia, Costa Rica, and Panama. The initiative seeks to strengthen national policies and regulatory frameworks to advance environmentally sound management of plastic waste, thereby contributing to reducing marine pollution caused by single-use plastics.

The project focuses on supporting States in implementing the Regional Action Plan on Marine Debris in the Northeast Pacific, as part of the commitments under the Basel Convention. The 2019 amendments to this convention recognize certain plastics as hazardous waste, especially those contaminated, mixed, or containing toxic additives, reinforcing the need for safer, more responsible management of these materials.

The initiative includes the development of awareness campaigns, accompanied by technical and scientific assessments, as well as generating, documenting, and disseminating key information on:

• The commitments of the Basel Convention and its amendments on plastics.
• Marine pollution from plastics.
• Best practices and regulations to reduce such pollution.
• The link between plastic pollution and the climate goals of the Paris Agreement, highlighting the potential for mitigation through public policy and integrated waste management.

“MarViva recognizes that the participation of various public sector actors linked to health, environment, waste, trade, and consumer protection, as well as the private sector, academia, non-governmental organizations, and civil society in general, is a fundamental pillar for the successful implementation of this project. This collaboration supports technical roundtables and existing initiatives in each country that address the issue. All of this effort is possible thanks to the sponsorship of the Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions (BRS) – UNEP”, said Katherine Arroyo Arce, executive director of MarViva.

The alliance considers specific actions in each country to move towards environmentally sound management of plastic waste:

• Costa Rica: Support for the implementation of national policies and instruments regulating single-use plastics, including Law No. 9786-2019, in force since 2024, which establishes the gradual reduction of straws, bags, and bottles.

• Colombia: Assistance in the implementation of Law 2232-2022, aimed at progressively reducing the production and consumption of single-use plastics, including straws, containers, and bags.

• Panama: Contribution to the development of the National Strategic Plan for the Reduction of Single-Use Plastics with a life cycle approach, and promotion of regulations on materials for packaging, wrapping, and transporting food.