Guatemala bans use of disposable plastic, sets two-year deadline
Guatemala said on Friday it will ban single-use plastic bags and various disposable utensils, following in the footsteps of Panama, which this year became the first Central American country to
Guatemala Adopts Single-Use Plastic Bans In Multiple Towns - Green Matters
Now, anyone caught selling items in plastic packaging will face a fine of $150-$650, which is an enormous fee for most of the working-class residents. San Miguel Petapa follows in the footsteps of Cantel, Acatenango, and roughly eight other Guatemalan municipalities that have banned single-use plastics over the past two years.
How a Guatemalan Town Tackled Its Plastic Problem
Economic sanctions punish anyone who breaks the law. Individuals must pay 300 GTQ ($40)—a hefty amount considering Guatemala’s average lower-middle-class annual income is $1,619. Companies
Nations sign up to end global scourge of plastic pollution
34 out of 54 countries have already put in place legislation on single used plastics bags, she said, "and I encourage more countries to follow suit. "Today, no area of the planet is left untouched by plastic pollution, from deep sea sediment, to Mount Everest. The planet deserves a truly multilateral solution to this scourge that affects us all.
75% of people want single-use plastics banned, global survey finds
The percentage of people calling for bans is up from 71% since 2025, while those who said they favoured products with less plastic packaging rose to 82% from 75%, according to the IPSOS poll of
- Has Guatemala regulated single-use plastics?
- As of now, the federal government has not committed to national action to regulate single-use plastics in Guatemala. However, the success of the movement has caught the attention of the plastics industry which has responded with lawsuits and media offensives, according to news site OZY.
- How much does it cost to get banned in Guatemala?
- Economic sanctions punish anyone who breaks the law. Individuals must pay 300 GTQ ($40)—a hefty amount considering Guatemala’s average lower-middle-class annual income is $1,619. Companies that use the banned materials face a fine of 15,000 GTQ ($1,940). The town also needed a better system to process waste.
- Is San Pedro La Laguna drowning in plastic pollution?
- Before 2016, San Pedro La Laguna was drowning in plastic pollution that was threatening the fragile ecosystem of Lake Atitlán. The dire need for change crystallized when a solid waste disposal processing plant that was expected to manage a decade of waste was halfway full within six months, mostly with single-use plastics.
- Why did San Pedro La Laguna enact a waste ordinance?
- San Pedro La Laguna was the first town in Guatemala to enact such a drastic ordinance against waste. Villagers initially resisted, as they’d become accustomed to using materials that were now outlawed.
- Why did Mauricio Méndez enact a municipal law?
- Rather than build a larger plant—which would’ve been an enormous financial burden on the town and further polluted the lake with debris—Mayor Mauricio Méndez decided to implement a stringent municipal law to encourage lasting, sustainable change.
