https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/130246 2026-04-11T03:05:40Z 2026-04-11T03:05:40Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/145440 2026-04-09T10:06:15Z 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Plastic recycling practices in the Kingdom of the Netherlands : contrasting PET usage in the Netherlands and Curaçao Abstract: Plastic pollution is not merely an environmental issue—it is one of the most visible symptoms of structural failure in global material governance. Every piece of plastic ever created still exists unless incinerated. In countries with organised waste management systems, the problem often remains invisible to the public. However, this illusion of proper disposal masks a deeper crisis, particularly impacting our oceans and marine life. The urgency to address plastic pollution is underscored by its significant environmental, economic, and health implications. Small Island States (SIS) and island territories face disproportionate challenges in managing plastic waste—not due to local negligence, but due to their structural position in global trade systems. Limited space, diverse material types, and inadequate infrastructure are significant hurdles. For instance, islands often rely heavily on tourism, which exacerbates waste generation while simultaneously lacking the capacity to manage it effectively. This creates a pressing need for tailored waste management solutions. Yet, framing these challenges as merely local or logistical obscures a more fundamental reality: islands are currently positioned at the end of global value chains—acting as sinks for plastic waste rather than nodes in circular systems. Plastics encompass a wide range of synthetic polymers with diverse characteristics, applications, and potential for reuse as secondary raw materials. Despite the growing global discussion on plastic waste, little is known about 'polymer-specific mass flows' (Kawecki et al., 2018, p. 9875). Understanding these polymer-specific pathways, such as the widely recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), is essential for implementing effective mitigation measures. In particular, PET offers a useful lens to interrogate global circularity narratives— because it is often framed as a “success story” in recycling. PET plastics represent a substantial portion of global plastic waste, frequently used in beverage bottles and packaging due to their lightweight and durable nature (Benavides et al., 2018). PET is one of the most produced polymer types globally (Geyer et al., 2017), and its widespread use has made it among the most abundant polymers in marine plastic litter (Andrady, 2015; Iñiguez et al., 2018). Its main advantage compared to other polymers lies in the mature global recycling infrastructure, which enables secondary PET (rPET) to compete with primary material (Kuczenski and Geyer, 2010). As such, post-consumer PET recycling has a long tradition and stands as one of the most successful examples of polymer recycling (Sinha et al., 2010). However, its prevalence in single-use packaging remains a significant environmental concern, particularly in regions with inadequate recycling infrastructure. Addressing PET plastic waste is thus a critical component of broader efforts to mitigate plastic pollution. This contradiction—between PET’s global recyclability and its local unmanageability in island contexts—is at the heart of this thesis. This thesis aims to understand the material flows and policy drivers for PET plastic practices in Curaçao and the Netherlands. By conducting a comparative analysis between a small island and a high-income land connected country, this research illustrates how geography, policy, and power intersect to shape access to circular economies. By exploring these dynamics, the research seeks to develop targeted policy recommendations to support and enhance PET recycling within and beyond the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The selection of the Netherlands and Curaçao as comparative cases is grounded in their shared sovereignty within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. While they operate under a common constitutional framework, they possess distinct policy jurisdictions, creating both institutional alignment opportunities and governance asymmetries. This offers a rare opportunity to examine systemic divergence within a formally unified political structure. The research questions guiding this thesis are: 1. How does a comparison of PET recycling practices in Curaçao and the Netherlands reveal Curaçao’s waste management challenges? 2. How do waste policies in Curaçao and the Netherlands influence PET usage and recycling rates? 3. What policies could enhance PET recycling within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, particularly in Curaçao? These questions are rooted in a broader objective: to rethink PET waste not as a local failure of infrastructure, but as the outcome of global value chain dynamics that structurally exclude islands from reintegration loops. Understanding PET flows will provide a basis for effective waste reduction and recycling strategies. Developing targeted policy recommendations is essential for overcoming the unique logistical and resource constraints faced by Curaçao, ensuring that recycling efforts are feasible and effective. Evaluating the impact of Dutch waste policies on Curaçao will highlight policy gaps and propose necessary adjustments to support more inclusive and effective waste management practices. In doing so, the study contributes to a growing call for a justice-oriented circular economy—one that accounts for peripheries, not just productivity. The outcomes of this research could offer meaningful insights for practical application. By offering insights into the economic realities and systemic challenges of PET plastic management, the findings will inform policymakers, industry stakeholders, and environmental organisations. The study also contributes conceptually to sustainability science, highlighting how small territories can reveal critical blind spots in dominant circular economy models. This research not only contributes to academic discourse on sustainable waste management but also provides actionable recommendations to enhance recycling practices within the Kingdom of the Netherlands and beyond. This dissertation is organised into six main chapters. ● Chapter 2 presents a literature review, beginning with an introduction to plastic pollution, examining its environmental, social, and economic impacts, with a particular focus on its evolution over time. This chapter also discusses specific challenges and opportunities faced by islands in mitigating plastic pollution and explores recycling as part of an integrated approach. ● Chapter 3 outlines the methodology and research questions that guide this study, detailing the proposed research methods used to analyse PET recycling practices in Curaçao and the Netherlands, including a stakeholder analysis, infrastructure assessment, and policy review. ● Chapter 4 presents the results, critically comparing PET recycling practices in both regions. It evaluates the roles of stakeholders, recycling infrastructure, and PET material flows. ● Chapter 5 discusses the findings within the context of the literature, analysing broader policy frameworks and their implications for improving PET recycling practices. This chapter also provides recommendations for future research and practical applications for island-based recycling systems. ● Chapter 6 concludes the dissertation by summarising the key findings and offering policy recommendations, with a particular focus on enhancing PET recycling in small island economies like Curaçao. By reframing waste as a global systems challenge rather than a local management issue, this study contributes to a more inclusive, justice-oriented circular economy and offers a new lens for understanding the role of Small Island States in sustainability transitions. This study contributes to the field by making visible the structural exclusion of islands from global circular systems—even when they are formally connected to high-income governance structures. By comparing Curaçao and the Netherlands, it uncovers the institutional asymmetries that place island economies at a disadvantage. This perspective reframes PET recycling as a governance and equity issue, offering a foundation for more inclusive circular economy frameworks. Description: M.A.(Melit.)

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/145262 2026-03-30T12:21:07Z 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Challenges facing agriculture in Cyprus in the last two decades Abstract: This research investigates the factors that have led to the decline of the agricultural sector in Cyprus during the last two decades, and the role of small family businesses linked to the farming sector, as well as part-time farmers, as stewards of rural development, the environment, and cultural heritage. The gradual abandonment of the agricultural zones around the island, and the unrestrained infrastructure in the urban areas are issues particularly noticeable in the economy, society, and natural ecosystems. At the same time, the initiatives of small agriculture-related businesses and the activities of non-professional farmers that contribute to the endurance of the sector, are aspects not always supported by proper policy measures. This study employs a qualitative research approach, by first conducting a scoping literature review to highlight the gaps in the literature in relation to the role played by small agriculture-related businesses and the activities of non-professional farmers in Cyprus, to then conduct a qualitative content analysis of key documents from the EU and Cyprus to assess how and to what extent small farming-related businesses and the activities of nonprofessional farmers have been given attention and resulted in salient policy measures. Results show that little importance has been given to these two specific categories, both in terms of policy relevance and budget allocations. This suggests that further actions could be promoted to enhance support to these important actors, which are understood to be crucial for agricultural production and preservation of unique island cultural heritages. Description: M.A.(Melit.)

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/140272 2025-10-17T13:12:36Z 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Volcanic risk reduction in the face of multiple hazards in Caribbean SIDS : examining St. Vincent and Dominica Abstract: N/A Description: Ph.D.(Melit.)

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/135385 2025-05-13T13:30:38Z 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: The management of the blue economy in the Eastern Caribbean small island states : a focus on Grenada Abstract: Small Island Developing states are encumbered with inherent vulnerabilities largely due to their small physical size, lack of a diversified economy, susceptibility to exogenous factors such as adverse weather events, climate change natural disasters and environmental degradation. These factors combined with poor traditional practices and cultural habits, uninformed decision making along with economic factors such as fluctuations in market prices of the mono export crops, oil and shipping prices, down turns in the economies of the tourism source markets such as the USA and the EU, continue to further exacerbated the problem. Most SIDS are further burden by the economic system inherited from the mainland that largely favored an extractive, profit oriented and even exploitative economic system, given that the islands were merely seen as production outposts for the mainland and therefore were entrusted with an economic and social system that was fit for purpose and which still exists in certain instances or heavily influence the current system in use today. This economic system has left many SIDS with depleted lands that are susceptible to erosion, floods and inundation and over fished marine areas. But in spite of the many vulnerabilities and challenges SIDS must to be progressive and must carter to the needs of their mostly young and growing population, guaranteeing their safety and prosperity and to avoid at all cost the problem of mass or environmental migration away from the islands. But how are SIDS to accomplish this amidst the gloomy reality previously outlined? Transitioning to a Blue Economy with the myriad of benefits that it proffers seem to be the new beacon beaming on the horizon for SIDS and especially given that they are surrounded by the sea and are signatories to the United Nations Conventions on the Laws of the Seas (UNCLOS) and so possess jurisdiction of marine spaces that are several times larger than their terrestrial size and also have ownership of the marine resources, both living and nonliving that are contained within that space. Many SIDS therefore see transitioning to the blue economy as a path way to achieving sustainability, resilience, equity, stability, economic growth and development, clean and reliable energy and even wealth creation among many others. The clarion call has therefore been sounded and heeded by SIDS to transition to this new paradigm to be able to reap some of its many benefits that are so urgently needed for the overall survival, growth and prosperity of their citizens. But what does transitioning really mean and what are the means, structures and mechanisms that must be employed to bring about an effective transformation? Using Grenada as an example, this paper shows the pros and cons of the blue promise and examine some of the tools that are available to SIDS to manage this transitions. Some of the mechanisms discussed include, the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM), the Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Marine Spatial Planning (MSP). Many of these mechanisms are already in use by SIDS, often times having been developed with assistance from a developed country such as Japan or an international organization such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). However, the drawback faced with the use of theses mechanisms often include lack of maintenance, poor regulation and enforcement of legislation, and damage or destruction from hurricanes and sea surges, with the latter increasing in intensity and frequency in the recent years. Another mechanism for the transmission to the blue economy is the use of renewable energy as a replacement for fossil fuel thus ensuring cleaner air, reduction in the energy cost and the creation of sustainable jobs. Many SIDS including Grenada have established renewable energy plants, among which include solar, wind farms, geo thermal, hydro and marine energy plants in this regard. In Grenada’s case a solar PV plant was established in Limlair on the island of Carriacou with funding provided by the Caribbean Community Climate Change Center (5C’s), the Government of the United Kingdom, and the European Union at a cost of US$ 3.2 Million. The Limlair plant was successfully established and operational and was recently expanded due to its outstanding performance, but was unfortunately decimated by Hurricane Berryl in July of 2024. The Blue transition also carters to the circular economy and the reduction and recycling of waste. Plastic waste management is of paramount importance to SIDS especially because a large percentage of the plastics end up along the shorelines and in the sea, thus proving detrimental to the vital tourism and fishing industries that most SIDS heavily depend on. SIDS are therefore encouraged to develop long-term policy documents, sector plans and budgets in an effort to guide the transition and to ensure the sustainable management of the blue economy. Among these crucial plans that are air marked include, National sustainable development plans, energy policies, Bio diversity and Climate resilience plans and policies and annual budgets that are sensitive and supportive of the blue economy discourse. With the aid of the NVivo software, and using the saliency theory of analysis, an examination of Grenada’s National Sustainable Development Plan 2035, The Grenada Energy Policy of 2011 and the 2024 budget was undertaken. The result shows that blue economy considerations were prevalent and significant and deemed supportive of the blue economy transition and would hence inform the agenda or influence the policy decisions in that regard. The analysis also found that while it was also true for the budget document, it was not as pronounced in the context in which they were used and that the document in question still displays a subtle dichotomy of support for traditional production, taxation and economic growth over sustainability and development. The conclusion could therefore be made that SIDS are poised to transition to a blue economy having most of the tools and mechanism at their disposal and have developed supportive policy documents and development plans in this regard. The budget however needs to be more supportive and in line with the blue initiative and should provide greater support in being a bedrock for the development, production and use of renewable energy in SIDS. Description: M.A.(Melit.)

2025-01-01T00:00:00Z