Recyclable Waste Characterization on Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos, November 2024

Characterization data from the recycling flow on Santa Cruz island, Galápagos, collected between 19 and 25 November 2024. The dataset includes waste classification, counting, weighing, and polymer identification for each item, with brand information noted when available. This work is part of the NERC-funded project NE/V005448/1, aiming to reduce plastic waste in the Galápagos Islands and Eastern Pacific.

Use Cases

• Analyze the composition of recyclable waste streams based on the category and subcategory classifications.
• Identify prevalent polymer types in island waste to inform recycling and reduction strategies.
• Study brand presence in plastic pollution based on the recorded brand information.
• Support circular economy modeling with data on waste quantities and material types.

Strengths

• Data collection is temporally specific, conducted over a defined week in November 2024.
• Includes multiple characterization methods: classification, counting, weighing, and polymer identification.
• Contains brand-level information for some items, which can aid in source attribution studies.

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data may reflect geographic and temporal bias inherent to a single island and one-week sampling period.

Provenance

Source

Environmental Information Data Centre

Collection Method

Characterization conducted via classification, counting, weighing, and polymer identification of waste items.

Time Range

19-25 November 2024

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-21 14:07:58.182386; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos