{
  "abstract": "Caribbean countries bear a disproportionate burden of marine plastic pollution because of their small landmass, high population density, and insufficient waste management infrastructure. Many Caribbean nations depend on informal, unmanaged landfills, underscoring an urgent need for more resilient, sustainable systems. This perspective synthesizes existing data to map the region’s plastic waste landscape and leverages regional expertise to identify key research priorities. This work emerged from interdisciplinary international professionals and members of the CEPlaSt (circular economy for plastic sustainability) network. A major barrier to circularity is the lack of reliable data on waste composition and flows, alongside stark infrastructure disparities across the wider Caribbean region. Addressing these gaps through targeted investment and region-specific planning is essential to modernize waste systems, reduce plastic emissions, and advance a sustainable Caribbean plastic circular economy.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States",
    "Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan 49931, United States",
    "Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo, Santo Domingo 10602, Dominican Republic",
    "Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, St. Augustine 331131, Trinidad and Tobago",
    "Analytics and Research for Decision Making (ALIADO), University of Antioquia, Medellín 050010, Colombia",
    "The University of West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Caribbean Environmental Law Unit, Bridgetown BB11000, Barbados",
    "Technological University of Panama, Panama City 0819-07289, Panama",
    "Laboratorio Nacional de Nanotecnología (LANOTEC), Centro Nacional de Alta Tecnología CENAT, San Jose 10109, Costa Rica",
    "Ministry of Industry, Commerce and MSMEs (MICM), Santo Domingo 10111, Dominican Republic",
    "Association of Industries of the Dominican Republic (AIRD), Santo Domingo 10109, Dominican Republic",
    "Université des Antilles, Pointe-à-Pitre 97110, Guadeloupe",
    "University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder Colorado 80309, United States",
    "Nueva Vida para los Residuos (NUVI), Santo Domingo 10109, Dominican Republic"
  ],
  "article_type": "review article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 19,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Anne Marie Mozrall",
      "orcid": "0009-0000-9151-096X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Jessica P. Feliz Garrido"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Pamela Tejada-Tejada"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Akeem Mohammed"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Brigitte Mildred Roldán Ramírez"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5
      ],
      "name": "Alana Malinde S.N. Lancaster"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Iris Odett Atencio"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        7
      ],
      "name": "Diego Batista"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Denise Delvalle-Borrero"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        8
      ],
      "name": "Christian Espinal"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        9
      ],
      "name": "Ana De León"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        10
      ],
      "name": "Sarra Gaspard",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-6849-7696"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Ulises Jauregui-Haza"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        11
      ],
      "name": "Phaedra C. Pezzullo"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        12
      ],
      "name": "Mariely Ponciano"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Jeffrey V. Smith"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Laura Vásquez"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        8
      ],
      "name": "Rafael Vasquez"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Amy E. Landis"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/8jf09ytpcsy3r.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1021/acs.est.5c16637",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13738801/",
  "id": "8jf09ytpcsy3r",
  "issns": [
    "0013-936X",
    "1520-5851"
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  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5c16637",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Perspective"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2310|Microplastics and Plastic Pollution"
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  "openalex": "W7222949433",
  "pdf_url": "https://pubs.acs.org/esthag/article-pdf/doi/10.1021/acs.est.5c16637/68900307/acs.est.5c16637.pdf",
  "pmcid": "PMC13738801",
  "pmid": "42975468",
  "published": "2026-10-19",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/8jf09ytpcsy3r.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-09T12:23:43Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13738801",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5c16637"
    }
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  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "earth",
      "origin": "openalex:2310|Microplastics and Plastic Pollution",
      "subfield": "environmental-science"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Research Priorities for a Circular Economy for Plastic Sustainability in the Caribbean",
  "title_text": "Research Priorities for a Circular Economy for Plastic Sustainability in the Caribbean",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-09T12:23:43Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/8jf09ytpcsy3r",
  "venue": "Environmental Science & Technology",
  "versions": []
}