Colombia has expanded formal waste-management rules and circular-economy policies, but recycling remains constrained by collection gaps, low source separation, and dependence on informal recyclers. Plastic reduction and extended producer responsibility measures have improved the policy framework, though implementation varies across municipalities.

Colombia is globally important for biodiversity and has extensive forests, páramos, Amazonian ecosystems, and marine/coastal protected areas. Protected-area coverage is substantial, but deforestation, land-use change, and illegal mining continue to threaten forest ecosystems.