Solid Waste Knows No Borders
Guatemala | MARN’s Involvement in the Clean Caribbean Binational Project
Dr. María José Iturbide, the Minister, participated as a speaker in the launch of the binational Clean Caribbean project.
She emphasized MARN’s pivotal role as the governing body for environmental and natural resources, stressing the need for supervision and support in project activities.
“Clean Caribbean aims to collaborate with municipalities and stakeholders to address the global challenge of solid waste management,” Iturbide highlighted.
The Minister also noted the project’s inclusivity, inviting participation from diverse actors across the private and public sectors.
She highlighted the cross-border nature of solid waste issues, emphasizing collaborative efforts with Honduras to enhance the management of the Motagua River basin.
The head of the department added that for this activity, various actors from both the private and public sectors have been invited to join.
She also commented that solid waste knows no borders and that for this reason, they work together with Honduras to have better management of the Motagua River basin.
The Clean Caribbean Project has an integrated approach, bridging public-private partnerships from local to global levels to improve the management of plastics and other solid waste in Guatemala and Honduras.
On his part, Andreas Lehnhoff, Director of the World Wildlife Fund for Nature – WWF Mesoamerica – pointed out that “Clean Caribbean” is a project aimed at reducing plastic pollution in the Motagua, Ulúa, and Chamelecon rivers of Honduras.
“We are pleased to have 8 municipalities, four from Honduras and four from Guatemala, committed to implementing and developing this project, which is supported by German cooperation and involves the participation of private sector actors,” Lehnhoff concluded.
The Clean Caribbean Project adopts an integrated approach, bridging public-private partnerships from local to global levels to tackle plastic and solid waste management in Guatemala and Honduras.
The workshop, held in Antigua Guatemala over three days, saw participation from various stakeholders, including municipalities like Gualán, Teculután, Zacapa, and Puerto Barrios.
Key discussions revolved around the project’s intervention area, strategy implementation, communication, monitoring, safeguards, and the roles and responsibilities of all involved parties.
Soledad Quartucci | CEO/Founder, Latina Republic
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