Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica with a population of 594.000 and a population density of 1,630/km², located on the south-eastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island. In Jamaica, the most significant imported plastics are LDPE, PVC and PP, 33% on containers and packaging, 30% construction and 25% domestic use, making a total of 24,700 tonnes. Kingston presents most of the consumption.
There were approximately 35,000 tonnes of plastic waste generated in Kingston in 2018, or 59 kg/cap/year. 82% of this generated plastic waste is collected by the municipal services. However, 100% these are disposed to unsanitary landfills, representing 28,591 tonnes per year. It is estimated that only 0.47% of this collected plastic waste is recycled. The remainder 18% of the waste generated is uncollected and part of it leaks into the ocean and waterways. As a result, it is estimated that 3,104 tonnes of plastics were leaked to the ocean from Kingston in 2018, corresponding to 5.24 kg/capita/year.
