The Government of Barbados has launched its new National Action Plan to End Plastic Pollution, a landmark step in the country’s journey towards sustainable environmental management. The plan, developed in partnership with Common Seas, sets out an ambitious, comprehensive roadmap to reducing Barbados’ plastic pollution by 73 percent over the next 10 years. 

Barbados is disproportionately affected by plastic pollution. According to our UN-endorsed Plastic Drawdown tool, an estimated 15,000 tonnes of plastic waste was generated in Barbados in 2021. The tool also identified that over 500 tonnes of plastics escaped into the environment in just one year, impacting the natural environment, community health and polluting the island’s seas. 

To prepare a comprehensive plan, Barbadian experts and stakeholders worked with Common Seas experts to deliver an analysis of plastic waste generation, management, and pollution. 

Five key policies to cut plastic pollution in Barbados by 73% over 10 years 

In collaboration with government, businesses and the community, five key policies were identified for tackling plastic waste. These policies cover both upstream and downstream measures to tackle plastic pollution from the source. They include: 

• Tackling single-use plastic bottle waste through relaunching the country's Deposit Return Scheme,  
• An enhanced ban on single-use bags,  
• A reuse system for single-use food service items, 
• Improving separation of recyclables through targets on collection and recycling for plastic producers (Extended Producer Responsibility), and 
• Improving solid waste management through enhancing collections and tackling littering 

Implementing these policies will provide widespread benefits to Barbados. Reducing plastic pollution will not only limit leakage into the ocean and protect local biodiversity, but also preserve the pristine natural environment that attracts tourism and investment, supporting a transition to a more sustainable blue economy. 

Despite the disproportionate impacts of plastic pollution they experience, Small Island Developing States (SIDS) such as Barbados contribute little to global plastics production. SIDS also rely on healthy oceans for their economies and wellbeing, making the impacts of climate change and nature loss – both driven by plastic pollution – particularly acute.  

This became more evident than ever when the earliest-forming Category 4 Atlantic hurricane on record hit Barbados and the surrounding region, driven by record ocean temperatures in the Gulf. The impacts of climate change are already having a disproportionate impact on small island developing states in the region, and plastic – which currently contributes to 3.4% of global emissions and is set to account for 19% by 2050 – is part of this problem. 

The new National Action Plan not only paves the way for a more resilient and healthy future in Barbados, but also demonstrates the country’s global leadership on plastic pollution. Its announcement will be followed by an educational summer camp, equipping Bajan youth with the knowledge and skills to end plastic pollution. 

Hon. Adrian Forde, Minister of the Environment and National Beautification, said: “It takes political will and collective action to ensure that these man-made products do not ruin our environment and lives. In Barbados we are proud to lead by example. We understand the importance of working with organizations like Common Seas in order to achieve our goals, so that plastic pollution can be a thing of the past.” 

Dr Charlotte Davies, Managing Director at Common Seas, said: “The development of this National Action Plan shows real commitment to tackling the plastic problem in Barbados. This vital step was the product of invaluable collaboration between the Government of Barbados, industry experts, businesses, and the community, working with Common Seas to co-build an approach that addresses local challenges, needs and solutions.  

“Barbados has a strong history of taking definitive action against pressing environmental issues and we look forward to seeing the continuation of this legacy brought to life through this National Action Plan. Common Seas has been proud to work with Barbados in its mission to end plastic pollution.”  

The partnership was supported with funding from the Commonwealth Blue Charter Project Incubator, which addresses Sustainable Development Goal 14 'Life Under Water'. Even though the ocean covers 72% of the Earth and supplies half of its oxygen, Goal 14 receives the least funding of all the Sustainable Development Goals. As a result, developing small island and coastal states typically face fewer funding options than other nations, particularly for marginalised groups including women, young people, indigenous peoples, and local communities. 

With a Global Plastics Treaty set to be agreed by the end of 2024, policymakers should look to Barbados as an example of bold, locally-informed action on plastics, and ensure that the unique requirements of Small Island Developing States are a core consideration in the negotiation of a just and ambitious treaty.

Click here to download the Barbados National Action Plan.