Rahmona Ramoutar

A Trinidadian environmental activist leading the successful plastic ban campaign in her country.

Rahmona Ramoutar: Driving Caribbean Plastic Policy Change

Rahmona Ramoutar, a 29-year-old environmental lawyer from Trinidad and Tobago, spearheaded the PlasticFree Caribbean movement that culminated in Trinidad’s 2023 single-use plastic ban. Her grassroots campaign, starting in 2020, used social media to mobilize 200,000 citizens, pressuring lawmakers to adopt the Plastic Reduction Act 2024.

Ramoutar’s 2021 documentary "Plastic Paradise: Trinidad’s Ocean Crisis" revealed how plastic waste choked coral reefs, prompting UNESCO to list the country’s marine parks as endangered. Her 2022 partnership with Greenpeace expanded the campaign to Guyana and Suriname.

In 2024, she launched BioDigester TT, a social enterprise converting organic waste into biogas. The initiative now serves 10% of Port of Spain’s households, reducing landfill dependency. Her TEDx Port of Spain talk "From Plastic to Progress: Reimagining Caribbean Sustainability" (2023) has been translated into 15 languages.

Ramoutar’s advocacy inspired the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to adopt a regional plastic treaty in 2025. Her upcoming book 《Plastic Warrior: One Woman’s Fight for a Plastic-Free Caribbean》 will detail strategies for grassroots environmental campaigns. At just 30, she’s redefining environmental leadership in the Global South.