Colombia

Policy framework

National action plan

– Name:
National Plan for the Sustainable Management of Single-Use Plastic.

– Brief description:
This plan is mainly oriented to the development of actions within the framework of circularity, promotion of the use of reusable products and recycling of materials. Progress will be made in the gradual substitution of plastics considered unnecessary.

The content of this technical instrument includes initiatives aimed at improving the environmental characteristics of plastic products, promoting the rational use of single-use plastics, placing reusable materials on the market and modifying the culture in commercial establishments and home services. It also includes actions aimed at basic and applied research for new substitute materials and the generation of reverse logistics mechanisms.

In addition, the plan presents cross-cutting actions, fundamental to facilitate management, highlighting labeling, eco-design, communication and culture towards sustainable lifestyles, research, coordination with the public sanitation service, as well as restrictions on the use of plastic in areas of National Natural Parks.

Additionally, Colombia during the period 2021-2022, through the delegates of DAMCRA and DAASU, contributed at the international level in the joint construction for the development of action plans to address marine debris and plastic pollution in the Northeast and Southeast Pacific regions. As a result, to date, the following are in place:

Marine Debris Action Plan for the Northeast Pacific 2022 – 2026
Marine Debris Action Plan in final version prepared and edited, whose official launch took place on June 8, 2022 during the Oceans Day with the participation of the Director of DAMCRA on behalf of Colombia.

Regional Plan for Integrated Management of Marine Debris in the Southeast Pacific
Regional Plan, which was approved on April 4, 2022, by the General Authority of the Southeast Pacific Action Plan.

Legal framework

– Brief description:

• Law No. 1672 establishing the guidelines for the adoption of a public policy for the integrated management of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) – WEEE is waste of differentiated management that must be managed in accordance with the guidelines established for this purpose by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development.
  • General Environmental Law – Establishes retributive and compensatory rates for introducing or dumping waste directly or indirectly into the atmosphere, water and soil.
  • National Sanitary Code – Establishes the sanitary norms related to human health and the procedures and measures to be adopted for the regulation, legalization and control of waste and material discharges that affect or may affect the sanitary conditions of the environment.
  • Law 430 of 1997 – Dictates the prohibitive norms and environmental responsibility, regarding hazardous wastes.
  • Law 1252 of 2008 “Whereby prohibitive norms are dictated in environmental matters, referring to residues and hazardous wastes and other provisions are dictated”.
• Decree 1713 of 2002 – Establishes rules aimed at regulating the public sanitation service within the framework of the comprehensive management of ordinary solid waste, in matters relating to its components, levels, classes, modalities, quality, and the regime of service providers and users.
  • Decree 2198 of 2017 “Whereby the heading of Part 5 of Book 1 is modified and Title 6 is added to Part 5 of Book 1 of Decree 1625 of 2016 Sole Regulatory Decree on Tax Matters, to regulate paragraph 1 of article 512-15 and numerals 3 and 4 of article 512-16 of the Tax Statute”, issued by the Ministries of Finance and Public Credit, and Environment and Sustainable Development, in order to regulate the requirements to apply the differential rates of the tax on plastic bags that offer environmental solutions, as well as the conditions for the non-causation of the national consumption tax on plastic bags.
  • Resolution 0668 of 2016 “Whereby the rational use of plastic bags is regulated and other provisions are adopted”. It establishes in charge of the distributors of plastic bags referred to in the regulation, the obligation to formulate, implement and keep updated a program of rational use of plastic bags, distributed at the points of payment throughout the national territory.
• Resolution 1407 of July 26, 2018 “Whereby the environmental management of paper, cardboard, plastic, glass, metal containers and packaging waste is regulated and other determinations are made”, in accordance with its objective establishes producers the obligation to formulate, implement and keep updated an environmental management plan for containers and packaging waste, which promotes the use.
  • The aforementioned Resolution provides that producers with national coverage must, as from 2022, extend the coverage of the environmental management plans for packaging waste to the Archipelago Department of San Andres, Providencia and Santa Catalina.
  • Resolution 1342 of 2020, which modifies Resolution 1407 of 2018, with which the initially established definitions are expanded; new obligations are established to some of the relevant actors in the management of packaging waste and the respective annexes of the resolution are modified.
  • Issuance of Resolution 1558 of 2019 “Whereby the entry of single-use plastics is prohibited in the areas of the Colombian National Natural Parks system and other provisions are adopted.” Specifically in areas with ecotourism vocation, with the exception of plastics intended for medical purposes and uses, for reasons of asepsis and hygiene.
• By means of Law 1973 of 2019 “Whereby the entry, commercialization and use of bags and other plastic materials is regulated and prohibited in the Archipelago Department of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina and minor islands that compose it” with the objective of reducing the environmental impact produced by the entry, commercialization and use of plastic materials in the department.
  • Decree 317 of 2021 of the Mayor’s Office of Bogota D.C., regulates the District Agreement No. 808 of 2021 and establishes measures to progressively reduce the acquisition and consumption of single-use plastics in the entities of the Capital District.
  • Resolution 295 of December 01, 2021 of the National Authority of Aquaculture and Fisheries-AUNAP: “Whereby the final disposition of regulatory and non-regulatory fishing gear and equipment is established”.

Measures