Latin America and Caribbean
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Organization
Algramo
Santiago, Chile
Chilean refill company whose smart dispensers and reusable containers let shoppers buy exactly what they need without new packaging.
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Organization
Bocas Recycle Center
Bocas del Toro, Panama
Local recycling company in Bocas del Toro, Panama, that collects plastics, cardboard, cartons, cans and glass, and is partnering with One Earth One Ocean and Seas & Straws to add ocean plastic recovery.
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Law or Bill
Chile single-use plastics in food service (Law 21.368)
Chile | In force, phased
Restricts single-use plastic in restaurants and food delivery and promotes refillable drink bottles; builds on Chile’s 2016 producer responsibility law.
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Organization
GAIA (Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives)
Network of grassroots groups building zero waste cities and fair work for waste pickers, as an alternative to burning plastic.
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Organization
Global Plastic Action Partnership
Hosted by the World Economic Forum; helps countries build national plastic action roadmaps with government, business and civil society.
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Law or Bill
Mexico City single-use plastics ban
Mexico City, Mexico | In force
Banned plastic bags in 2020 and many single-use items such as cutlery, straws and cups in 2021.
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Organization
One Earth One Ocean
Munich and Kiel, Germany | Founded 2011
German nonprofit that builds its own waste-collecting boats and runs local collection and sorting teams to clear plastic from rivers, harbours and coasts.
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Law or Bill
Panama City rivers, mangroves and bay cleanup plan
Panama City, Panama | Under way; 425 days of work
A US$4.8 million, 425-day program by the Alcaldía de Panamá to clear waste from the Matías Hernández and Río Abajo rivers, mangroves and the Bay of Panama shoreline. 534 tons removed by 12 September 2026.
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Law or Bill
Panama plastic bag ban (Law 1 of 2018)
Panama | In force
Panama became the first country in Central America to ban single-use polyethylene bags, relevant to our Bocas del Toro projects.
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Organization
Plastic Bank
Vancouver, Canada | Founded 2013
Pays collectors in coastal communities a premium for plastic they gather, using a digital record to trace the material to brands that reuse it.
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Technology
Recycled plastic building materials
Commercial
Mixed and low-value plastic is compressed into boards, blocks and bricks for construction, creating a market for plastic nobody else will buy.
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Technology
River interceptors and booms
Deployed in many countries
Floating barriers and conveyor systems anchored in rivers catch plastic before it reaches the sea, where it is far harder to recover.
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Organization
RiverRecycle
Helsinki, Finland | Founded 2019
Finnish company that installs river cleaning systems on heavily polluted rivers and turns the collected plastic into building boards, creating local jobs.
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Organization
Seas & Straws
Bocas del Toro, Panama, and Germany | Founded 2018
Founded by eco warrior Jana Koebel: a plastic-free living and travel hub, plastic-free consulting for hotels, and on-the-ground recycling projects with One Earth One Ocean in Bocas del Toro, Panama.
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Organization
Tijuana River Project
Cross-border river pollution reporting and restoration on the Tijuana River, linked to Rotary global grant proposals with RiverRecycle.