Towards Osaka Blue Ocean Vision - G20 Implementation Framework for Actions on Marine Plastic Litter

Antigua and Barbuda

Actions and Progress on Marine Plastic Litter
Last Update : 2024/07/04

Policy framework

National Action Plan

Name:
● National Bottle Deposit Scheme and a Waste-to-product

Brief description:
National bottle-to-bottle collection scheme to encourage the return of PET bottles for 20 cent. To ensure the bottles are diverted for the landfill and process at the appropriate recycling facility. On the other hand focus is also being made to collect non-recyclable bottles and use as a resource to make products such as chairs, bottles, and souvenir’s.

Legal framework

Name:
● Environmental Protection Levy (Amendment) Bill, 2023

Brief description:
The Bill amendment is to strengthen the legislation to cover payment from local manufactures who uses blown preforms on island to distribute water. Therefore, enabling the scheme to be established where residents and citizens can be paid for post-consumer used bottles returned to bottle collection points.

Indicators

Under Development

  • Prohibition Orders for single-use plastic and polystyrene (shopping bags, straws, etc.)
  • Promotion of innovative solutions
  • Boosting multi-stakeholder involvement and awareness-raising
  • Beach clean-ups

Measures

Improve waste management recycling system Yes
Conduct clean-up activities in rivers/ wetlands/ beaches/ coasts/ coral reefs/ sea floor, involving local communities involving local communities Yes
Taken/to be taken National Level Action and/or Community Level Action on Clean sea initiatives including ghost net retrieval, ocean-bound plastics etc. Yes
Do you have/are you building/ are you promoting technology based plastic waste re-use, recycling and recovery opportunities Yes
Boost multi-stakeholder involvement and awareness-raising Yes
Share scientific information and knowledge: R&D and monitoring Yes
Participate in international cooperation through international organizations, multi-national groups, etc. Yes
Support target region by your international cooperation initiatives/projects: Latin America Yes

Measures

Achievements
Improve waste management recycling system through the Plastic Waste Free Island Project (PWFI)

Date

Location

Amount of bottles

July 14, 2021- November 2021

Epicurean Drive, Cobbs Cross and Jennings

591,670 bottles

July 4th, 2022-December 2022

Epicurean, Ebenezer, Cobbs Cross, Belmont

1,420,001 bottles

January 1st, 2023-March, 2023

Epicurean, Ebenezer, Cobbs Cross, Belmont

412,779 bottles

Overall totals in collection

2,424,450 bottles

Total Weight (lbs)

57,133.83

Prevention and reduction of plastic waste generation

Levy of charges/ taxes for single-use plastic products (e.g. shopping bags, straws)

No

  

Regulations on microplastics

No

  

Government actions on microplastics

No

  

Community actions on microplastics including individual and wider stakeholder involvement (e.g. businesses, coastal community etc.)

No

  

Measures

Achievements
Environmentally sound waste management
Enforcement of proper waste management system

Names of actions:
Litter Control and Prevention Act, 2019

Brief description:
Acts as a legislation to educate, minimise, and institute penalties against persons littering.

No particular change observed

Comments:
Started off well then declined
Prevention of littering, illegal dumping and unintentional leakage of waste into the ocean

Names of actions:
Litter Control and Prevention Act, 2019

Brief description:
Acts as a legislation to educate, minimise, and institute penalties against persons littering.

No particular change observed
Are linkages between marine litter and blue economy being studied by your country? Has your country taken any policy/ legal measures to address these linkages?

In progress

  

Measures

Achievements
Cleanup of marine plastic litter
Collection of scattered waste on beach

Names of actions:
National clean-up days and NGO’S beach clean- ups

Brief description:
Individual events held throughout the year in an effort to clean the beach fronts, trails, and mangrove areas

Maintenance and cleanliness of the general beach surroundings

We have seen a positive improvement over the last two years

Numerical data, if any:
2-3 times a month clean-up occur
Removal of plastic litter from the ocean

No

  

Measures

Achievements

Promotion of innovative solutions

Policy actions for encouraging plastic alternatives (e.g. biodegradable plastics, circular product design – including use of recycled materials or closed-loop recycling)

Names of actions:
Prohibition Order for Shopping Plastic Bags and Polystyrene

Brief description:
Legislation that prohibits the importation, sale and use of single use plastics of a varying categories egg cartons, bags, food containers, and utensils

We have seen a positive improvement over the last two years
Public-private partnerships for creating and implementing innovative solution

Names of actions:
Closing the Plastic Tap

Brief description:
The purpose of this project is to demonstrate effective, quantifiable solutions to address recyclable and unrecyclable plastic waste (the biggest fraction of plastic waste generated) and plastic leakage from Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

We have seen a positive improvement over the last two years

Measures

Achievements

Education and awareness raising

Education system and/or curriculum for encouraging public awareness on MPL issues

If yes, give a brief description of your efforts related to education:
Through intergovernmental committees and stakeholder mobilizing in the field of plastics we are able to spread the message in schools and varying communities about the impacts of plastics on the environment and how individuals contribute to the problems currently being faced and actions that can be used to avert those issues.

No particular change observed

Awareness-raising campaigns related to MPL

National level:

Names of actions:
Plastic Waste Free Island

Brief description:
Bottle-to-Bottle buyback program with a educational component to bring awareness to impacts of plastic waste

International / Regional level:

Names of actions:
Remlit OECS project

Brief description:
The ReMLit project which aims to reduce and control marine pollution in the Eastern Caribbean

National level:

We have seen a positive improvement over the last two years

Comments:
General increases in return rate and reduced littering of bottles

International / Regional level:

We have seen a positive improvement over the last two years

Measures

Achievements

Monitoring & Scientific research on marine plastic litter

Actions for encouraging monitoring / scientific research on plastic flows and ocean surface microplastics

No

  

Engagement in international/regional level actions for encouraging monitoring / scientific research on plastic flows and ocean surface microplastics

No

  

Challenges

  • Recycling system improvement
  • Data collection related to waste in general
  • Data collection related to marine plastic litter
  • Lack of awareness among citizens, business, local governments
  • Lack of financial incentives for waste treatment in general
  • Lack of financial incentives for technology development
  • Project delays due to COVID-19

Best practices

National level

Contact Details

Indira James-Henry
Indira.james-henry@ab.gov.ag

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