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Plastics Waste Management in Developing Country: The Case of Ecuador
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This paper examines the state of plastic waste management in Tanzania, highlighting infrastructure gaps, policy limitations, and the scale of the plastic pollution problem in a developing-country context. It identifies key barriers such as inadequate collection systems and limited recycling capacity. The findings point to the need for targeted investment and governance reforms to address growing plastic waste burdens in similar low-income settings.
Plastic waste is a global concern due to its influence on health, the environment, and economic development. Ecuador is in the line to reduce plastic waste, representing 11% of the urban waste generated. Ecuador is making several efforts to achieve a circular economy model that encourages plastic waste management, recycling, and reuse. This review outlines the current state of plastic waste management, legislation, the recycling industry, and research challenges in Ecuador. Although the current legal framework is explicit about incorporating recycled plastic in single-use products, the plastics industry has few options for quality recycled materials. Also, the present law includes "extended producer responsibility" for the plastics industry to be involved directly in the PET recycling process, which proved to have a successful application model. However, since waste separation is implemented in around 33% of the country, most recyclates end up in landfills. Still, plastic manufacturers are looking for ways to comply with the regulations and incorporate circular economy policies within their companies. Finally, local academic research has proven the feasibility of alternative methods of plastics recycling, such as polymer blends and natural agrowaste-reinforced recycled plastic composites to meet circular economy trends.
More Papers Like This
Public policies to mitigate plastic pollution and adhere to the circular economy: A case study from Ecuador
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This study examines Ecuador as a case study in public policy for plastic pollution management, analyzing national legislation including the Single-Use Plastics Rationalization Law and the Inclusive Circular Economy Law, concluding that Ecuador's regulatory framework offers a transferable model for other countries seeking to reduce plastic production and promote circular economy principles.
Plastic and microplastic pollution in Ecuador: Environmental evidence, human exposure, regulatory gaps, and circular economy responses // Poluição por plásticos e microplásticos no Equador: evidências ambientais, exposição humana, lacunas regulatórias e respostas da economia circular
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This review pulls together 109 studies showing that plastic and microplastic pollution in Ecuador is everywhere, not just on beaches, but in rivers, high-altitude lakes, glacier snow, and even food and drinking water like seafood, canned tuna, milk, honey, and bottled water. The catch: while people are clearly being exposed to microplastics through their diet, no study has yet actually measured whether this exposure is harming human health, so the real-world risk to your body remains an open question. The bigger takeaway is that Ecuador's waste management and recycling systems have major gaps, meaning this exposure is likely to contin
Plastic Wastes Management and Disposal in Developing Countries: Challenges and Future Perspectives
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This review examines plastic waste management challenges in developing countries, finding that only 9% of plastic waste is recovered while 22% is mismanaged, with open dumping and burning remaining the dominant disposal methods, and concluding that effective solutions require diversified recycling technologies, stronger policy frameworks, and a shift toward biodegradable materials.
A review of plastic waste circular actions in seven developing countries to achieve sustainable development goals
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Review of plastic waste circular economy actions in 7 developing countries; calls to scale pilots and build international partnerships.
Towards Plastic Circularity: Current Practices in Plastic Waste Management in Japan and Sri Lanka
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A comparison of plastic waste management in Japan and Sri Lanka found that Japan practices the full plastic value chain while Sri Lanka relies heavily on an informal recycling sector, and recommends Japan's Extended Producer Responsibility approach as a model for Sri Lanka to improve plastic circularity.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.