Expert Bio

Gina Kawas is the recipient of the Vidanta Foundation-Wilson Center Fellowship, where she currently researches waste management and sustainability practices in her native Honduras. Gina has experience in the development world, most recently working for the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), where she manages programs regarding infrastructure, education, financial inclusion, health and environmental sustainability across the region. Gina holds a Master of Arts in Latin American and Caribbean Studies from New York University (2016) and a B.A in International Relations and Political Science (2012). She has also worked with Transparency International and directs the Foundation for Education in Honduras (FEIH).

Wilson Center Project

Residues beyond Disposability: Rethinking Waste Management Practices in Honduras.

Project Summary

Honduras is mired in a serious and under-reported crisis. Every year, the Honduran population generates tons of waste – much of which is disposed of inadequately. As usual, the consequences – environmental destruction, damage to health, and impeded development – are disproportionately affecting the country's most vulnerable communities. This research project proposes a waste transformation system, aimed to encourage a culture of recycling (at a public policy level) and connecting recovered waste, mainly plastic (bottles, containers, bags, straws) to local associations that manufacture and sell products made from the waste. This will not only help finance their activities, and generate new jobs, but it will help reduce the large amount of recyclable waste which is usually incinerated in landfills. Local associations will receive training on how to separate and create recycled material into sustainable products, which, in turn, will decrease the alarming levels of pollution and plastic waste.