Plastic pollution hotspots: global waste trade and environmental risk in Latin America

Abstract Plastic pollution is a growing environmental challenge, and Latin America is one of several Global South regions that have seen a rise in plastic waste imports. For 18 countries in the region, we combine a quantitative analysis of plastic scrap trade data (UN Comtrade) with an assessment of waste management capacity. Following China’s 2018 ban on plastic waste imports, Latin America saw increases in all types of plastic waste, and in particular, imports of low-quality (‘difficult-to-recycle’) plastics, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polystyrene (PS), increased considerably. We identify seven ‘plastic pollution hotspots,’ or countries that have (1) high imports of low-quality (‘difficult-to-recycle’) plastic waste AND (2) high rates of mismanaged waste: the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and Paraguay. Furthermore, we find that after 2018, difficult-to-recycle plastics have been recirculated within the region to countries with lower GDP per capita and limited waste management capacity, further disadvantaging the plastic pollution hotspots we identify. The paper is the first to identify plastic pollution hotspots in Latin America, the recirculation of low-quality plastic waste within the region, and juxtapose plastic waste imports against the waste management capacity of receiving countries. Our study provides timely evidence of the need to reduce plastics production, reduce chemical additives, and increase regulations surrounding hazardous plastic waste exports that are disproportionately impacting Global South regions.