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.

Program Impact

As of December 2023, Clean Cities, Blue Ocean has:

• Safely managed over 556,000 metric tons of waste and recyclables 
• Prevented over 82,000 metric tons of plastics (the equivalent of nearly 9 billion plastic bottles) from leaking into the environment
• Recovered and diverted over 19,000 metric tons of plastic and other waste from landfills, while supporting local livelihoods and building circular economies
• Trained over 14,500 individuals from local government, the informal waste sector, and local organizations to build local capacity for solid waste management planning and programs
• Directly impacted approximately 11.3 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 $12.6 million in public and private sector investments for improved solid waste management systems and infrastructure
• Formed and facilitated more than 200 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

For general inquiries about Clean Cities, Blue Ocean, please contact info@cleancitiesblueocean.org. For questions specific to grant opportunities, please contact opportunities@cleancitiesblueocean.org.

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Photos from the Field

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