Colón is the capital of Colón Province. It is the biggest port city found on the Caribbean Coast, and it has an urban population of 253,366 in 2020 and a population density of 30.71/km², it sits on the Caribbean coast, at the entrance to the Panama Canal. Colón is an important port, commercial center, and tourist destination. It was made a free trade zone in 1953 and is the world's second largest duty-free port (thIn Colon it is considerably lower due to its economic activity, of 8,868 tonnes.
There were approximately 2,087 tonnes of plastic waste generated in Colón in 2018, or 51 kg/cap/year. 72% of this generated plastic waste is collected and disposed to sanitary landfills, representing 1,501 tonnes per year. It is estimated that less than 1% of this collected plastic waste is recycled. The remainder 28% of the waste generated is uncollected and part of it leaks into the ocean and waterways. As a result, it is estimated that 13 tonnes of plastics were leaked to the ocean from Colón in 2018, corresponding to 0.32 kg/capita/year.
