ABOUT

The main objective of the project is to support the development and implementation of a Caribbean-wide plastic waste collection and recycling system through a pilot cooperation approach between Saint Lucia, the OECS Commission and the wider Caribbean. The government, local stakeholders and the private sector in Saint Lucia have recently become aware of the long-term impacts on the environment and on the island's economic and tourism development.

The RePLAST-OECS Project aims to support the collection of plastic in Saint Lucia in select Communities, Institutions (Schools) and the Private Sector (Hotels). There will be RePLAST Collection Points (RCPs) in select communities where persons can bring in plastic bottles.
The community collection will be undertaken through a non-monetary incentive scheme. Once registered a rewards card will be issued and points will be earned in exchange for plastic bottles returned. These points will be redeemable at RePLAST Business Partners. RCP locations will be announced in a subsequent project update. The plastic collected is transferred to local recyclers for processing and preparation for export to a Recycling Facility in the Caribbean. The RePLAST-OECS Project aims to create a sustainable supply chain and economic model in collaboration with local recyclers.

The project aims to achieve the following 4 outcomes: 1- An end-to-end flow for the collection and management of plastic waste, involving public, private and local stakeholders is set up and is operational in Saint Lucia. 2- Used plastic bottles from Saint Lucia are exported to Caribbean recycling facilities in a circular economy approach 3- The population of Saint Lucia is aware of the ecological issues surrounding managing and selectively sorting recyclable waste. 4- Other territories in the Eastern Caribbean (OECS) are ready to replicate the pilot action undertaken between Saint Lucia and the recycling facilities within the Caribbean basin.

After several experiments of very limited scope in early 2018, the stakeholders are now ready to collectively commit to an ambitious and concrete public-private partnership project to structure and implement a plastic waste management and exportation chain in a circular economy approach within the Caribbean basin. This project is mainly funded by the French Government with a significant contribution from the Government of Saint Lucia, other regional and bilateral donors (OECS, GIZ) and local and global private partners (Massy Stores, Heineken, Coca-Cola).

The project participates in the 3R Initiative as a pilot project, with a view of seeking certification to Verra's Plastic Waste Reduction Standard.