Clean Cities, Blue Ocean

Clean Cities, Blue Ocean (CCBO) is USAID’s global, flagship program under the Save Our Seas Initiative to address the 11 million metric tons of plastic that flow into the ocean each year. By enhancing circularity in rapidly urbanizing areas of developing countries, Clean Cities, Blue Ocean is targeting a major source of ocean plastic pollution.

USAID’s Five Building Blocks for Reduced Ocean Plastic Pollution together create the program’s systems approach:

USAID strongly believes that local solutions are key to addressing the global challenge of ocean plastic pollution. The program works in collaboration with local partners, as well global experts, to implement and test locally-relevant and sustainable approaches to reduce ocean plastics that can be shared, scaled, and tailored to meet the needs and local realities of individual communities, public and private sector actors, and waste value chains around the world.

Learn more about Clean Cities, Blue Ocean’s program approach and technical areas, or download the program fact sheet.

Clean Cities, Blue Ocean works across ten countries and in more than 25 cities in Asia, Pacific Islands, Latin America and the Caribbean. Through these activities, USAID is implementing the priorities of Section 202 of the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act in key ocean plastic pollution hotspots.

Program Impact

As of March 2024, Clean Cities, Blue Ocean has:

Safely managed over 7.4 million metric tons of waste and recyclables
Prevented over 1.2 million metric tons of plastics (the equivalent of over 127 billion plastic bottles) from leaking into the environment
Recovered and diverted over 30,000 metric tons of plastic and other waste from landfills, while supporting local livelihoods and building circular economies
Trained over 17,000 individuals from local government, the informal waste sector, and local organizations to build local capacity for solid waste management planning and programs
Directly impacted over 12 million individuals who have experienced improved air and water quality as a result of landfill remediation activities or have improved access to waste services as a result of new local businesses and organizations
Awarded over $11 million in grants and in-kind support to more than 43 local organizations and in-kind support to 8 city governments to implement effective, locally-led solutions
Mobilized over $12.7 million in public and private sector investments for improved solid waste management systems and infrastructure
Formed and facilitated more than 230 partnerships with local governments; private sector partners, including Nestle Philippines and the Coca-Cola Foundation; and groups including the Metro Manila Development Authority and World Bank, to build sustainable, circular economies