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SUMMARY ON THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF MARINE PLASTIC POLLUTION
IN ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA, GRENADA & SAINT LUCIA
November 2022
GLOBAL ISSUES WITH PLASTIC POLLUTION
Since the early 1950s, the use of plastics in everyday life has increased due
to its durability, lightness, and low production cost.
Between 2002 and 2015 the plastic production was the same as the
amount produced in the previous 52 years, (1950 and 2002)
10% of all mismanaged plastics leak into the oceans, mainly coming from
food packaging, bottles, straws, and grocery bags.
The main source of plastic waste flow in the oceans is land-based, 80%.
The other 20% comes from sea-based activities.
WHAT IS THE PROJECT ABOUT?
In 2019, with support from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad),
Antigua and
Barbuda
IUCN launched the Plastic Waste-Free Islands (PWFI) project.
The initiative’s overarching goal is to drive the circular economy agenda forward and to
reduce plastic waste generation and leakage from island states.
The project consists in assisting several island nations in the Pacific and Caribbean region
Saint Lucia
to reduce plastic waste generation and eliminate leakage to the ocean on which they
depend.
The PWFI was implemented in Fiji, Samoa, and Vanuatu in the Pacific, and in Antigua and
Grenada
Barbuda, Grenada and Saint Lucia in the Caribbean Region.
ECONOMIC ASSESMENT OF MARINE PLASTICS
The impacts of marine plastics on the fisheries and tourism sectors in 2019 were estimated for Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada and Saint Lucia. Impact
estimates were based on both plastic accumulation and leakage into the marine environment from these countries and other countries bordering the
Caribbean Sea.
Plastic products
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Plastics impact fisheries through dumped catch, fouling incidents, net repairs and time lost cleaning nets; while ghost fishing can generate additional revenue
losses. Tourism can be impacted when tourists are no longer willing to visit, due to plastic litter on beaches. In order to avoid this impact, beach clean-up costs
need to be incurred. These, and other factors, are costs associated with marine plastic pollution.
Economic assesments of marine plastic pollution November 2022
Other economic and social impact Impact on marine and coastal ecosystems
Marine plastics when impacting sectors, In addition to direct impacts, marine plastics
can also affect other issues, such as: can also have negative effects on marine
Employment ecosystems, such as: Coral reefs, mangroves
Food security and seagrass beds, which can have further
Balance of trade economic impacts.
BROADER
Impact on marine wildlife Marine plastics in marine protected areas
Ingestion ISSUES As there are no physical limits, marine plastics
Entanglement also accumulate in marine protected areas
Colonisation (MPAs), reducing their conservation
Contact or coverage effectiveness, and impacting the ecosystem
Chemical impacts services provided by MPAs.
ESTIMATING FUTURE IMPACTS OF RECYCLING
For Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada and Saint Lucia the potential reduction in plastics leaking into their respective marine environment, as well as the
potential reduction in plastics accumulating, were estimated for 2023-2040, considering the impact of only a national recycling system in each country,
as well as a regional effort to reduce plastic leakage into the Caribbean Sea by all 35 countries that have a coast bordering this sea.
By implementing a national recycling system, it is estimated that Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada and Saint Lucia can reduce leakage by 32%, 41% and
26%, respectively. It is estimated that this will reduce total accumulation of plastics in the marine environment less than 0.02 percent in each country.
Regional cooperation, whereby all countries reduce plastic leakage into the Caribbean Sea could, however, reduce plastic accumulation in each of the
three project countries by an estimated 23% on average.
FINAL REMARKS
Data on plastic flows, plastic accumulation and its impacts are fundamental to understand the issue and evaluate potential solutions.
Marine plastics create negative direct but also indirect, effects on the economies of Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada and Saint Lucia.
The impact of recycling at generating environmental and economic benefits is at its highest when implemented through regional cooperation. This
highlights the importance of working together through regional mechanisms to address plastic waste and leakage.
To make recycling profitable, there is a need for solutions that can generate financial benefits from recycling, such as the development of alternative
value chains.
Plastics are only one of multiple stressors affecting the marine environment. Broader assessments are needed to understand the direct and indirect
economic impact of the different environmental impacts affecting the Caribbean Sea, as well as other seas and oceans.
More information:
(1) Mittempergher et al. (2022). The economic impact of plastic pollution in Antigua and Barbuda. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. (2) Raes et al. (2022). The economic impact of plastic pollution in Grenada. IUCN,
Gland, Switzerland. (3) Raes et al. (2022). The economic impact of plastic pollution in Saint Lucia. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland
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