Farewell to Single-Use Plastics in the Pacific is a World Bank-led series of analytics aimed at informing national and regional decision-making, policy formulation, and investment requirements focused on decreasing plastic imports, consumption, and plastic waste, and, consequently, on reducing marine plastic pollution in the Pacific Islands. These studies focus on a single type of plastic product, selected in consultation with stakeholders and government officials reflecting national priorities, to evaluate the potential costs and benefits of specific regulations on a targeted product. The series covers case studies in Kiribati, Samoa, Tonga, and Vanuatu, with an overarching objective to identify viable alternatives to single-use plastics (SUPs); a stand-alone study in Fiji, focusing on strengthening a 2021 ban on polystyrene (PS) products; and a regional summary. Each study offers a detailed assessment of policy options tailored to a specific SUP, plastic bags in Kiribati, takeaway containers in Samoa, plastic bottles in Tonga, and disposable diapers in Vanuatu, identified through waste audits conducted for the Regional Waste Data Collection, Monitoring, and Reporting (DCMR) Framework between 2018 and 2021. Each case study examines two prioritized policy interventions, selected using a multi-criteria analysis and assessed through a cost-benefit analysis. These assessments account for the economic and social impacts of each policy option, ensuring a thorough understanding of how measures could affect communities and ecosystems alike. The Fiji study provides an ex-post economic assessment of three policy scenarios to enhance the PS ban, analyzing the costs and benefits to promote sustainable alternatives
