Barranquilla, the capital district of Colombia’s Atlántico Department, is the largest city and second-largest port on the northern Caribbean Coast. With a 2019 population of approximately 1,206,000 and a population density of 7,823 people per square kilometer, it ranks as Colombia’s fourth-most populous city after Bogotá, Medellín, and Cali.
Strategically situated near the Magdalena River delta, just 7.5 kilometers from its Caribbean Sea outlet, Barranquilla serves as a vital hub for river and maritime transportation. It is also the main industrial, commercial, educational, and cultural center of Colombia’s Caribbean region. The city accounts for an estimated 5.9% of Colombia’s total plastic production and imported an additional 12,559 tonnes of plastic in 2019 (Acoplásticos, 2020).
To address plastic waste, Barranquilla participates in a departmental strategy targeting a 5% recovery rate, aligned with the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) goal of 16% recovery by 2023. Key city initiatives include the Departmental Development Plan and the Sound Solid Waste Management Plan, which focus on three main objectives:
- Structure a strategy for solid waste with the active participation of all the actors involved that is technically feasible, environmentally convenient, and economically viable.
- Strengthen the educational and advertising campaigns on a permanent basis that are developed to sensitize citizens to the integral management of solid waste aimed at raising environmental awareness.
- Develop actions in favour of the recycling population that will result in their formalization and strengthening.
