Nothing but food waste goes over the side in Panama, and only 12 nm or more offshore, or 3 nm if ground. The Caribbean coast is a MARPOL special area. Since 1 January 2026, MiAmbiente also bans single-use plastics and foam in protected areas. Carry trash back to a marina and wash with as little as possible.
Garbage at sea: MARPOL Annex V on both coasts
MARPOL Annex V covers garbage from all ships, including small boats, and Panama is a party. The rules are stricter on the Caribbean side.
- Caribbean coast. Since 1 May 2011 the Wider Caribbean Region has been an Annex V special area. It covers the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, so it covers Colón, Portobelo, Guna Yala and Bocas. Inside it, all plastics are banned at sea, and so are paper, rags, glass, metal, bottles, crockery and packing. Food waste may go only 12 nm or more from the nearest land. If it is ground to pass a 25 mm screen, the limit is 3 nm.
- Pacific coast. The Pacific is outside the special area, but the general Annex V rule is close: plastics and all other garbage are banned at sea. Food waste is allowed only well offshore, on the same 12 nm (or 3 nm ground) distances.
Plastic includes the obvious items and the ones people forget: synthetic rope, fishing line and nets, cigarette filters and plastic bags. Put up a small placard by the galley so guests and crew know the rule.
Panama's plastics laws, and the 2026 park ban
- Ley 1 de 2018 (19 January 2018, Gaceta Oficial 28448-B) brought in reusable bags in shops. It ended single-use polyethylene bags in supermarkets, pharmacies and retail, and Acodeco enforces it. Bring your own bags when you provision.
- Ley 187 de 2020 (2 December 2020) phases out single-use plastics. It covered items such as stirrers, plastic plates and egg packaging, and plastic straws from December 2023.
- Ley 33 de 2018 sets Panama's Basura Cero (zero-waste) policy.
- MiAmbiente Resolución DM-0496-2025. From 1 January 2026, it bans bringing in, using, selling or handing out single-use plastic and foam in the national protected-areas system (SINAP). That includes disposable bottles, cups, plates, foam trays, straws, stirrers and non-biodegradable bags. It applies to visitors and tour operators, under a policy of taking back what you bring in.
For a boat heading to Coiba or another park, that means reusable water bottles, a cooler of glass or steel containers, and no foam boxes. See Coiba by boat and protected marine areas.
Getting rid of trash: marinas and the islands
Plan to carry everything back to a marina with a proper collection.
- Panama City. Flamenco lists waste disposal among its marina services. Ask at La Playita how anchored boats can land trash.
- Bocas. Red Frog's rules say not to leave garbage on the docks for pick-up, and not to put oils or fuel in the marina trash. Ask each marina for its routine.
- Chiriquí. Noonsite lists waste and waste-oil disposal at Marina Boca Chica.
- Islands and Guna Yala. There is little or no collection. Keep your trash aboard until Linton Bay, Portobelo or the city. If someone offers to take it, ask where it will go, because island trash is often burned or dumped.
Separate on board: food waste, recyclables, plastics and hazardous items (batteries, oily pads, paint, flares). Hazardous items need the marina's separate route. See fuelling and spill prevention for oily waste.
Grey water: showers, sinks and the canal
Grey water from sinks, showers and the galley is not covered by Annex IV, and we found no AMP rule for small craft. It still carries soap, grease and food into clear, warm anchorages that react badly to nutrients.
- In canal waters the ACP's effluent standard (2610 HIP 111) bans untreated sewage and grey water from vessels that are not the ACP's own. If you have a grey-water tank, close it for the transit. If not, keep showers and washing-up to a minimum.
- At anchor scrape plates into the food-waste bin, wipe pans with paper before washing, and use a sink strainer.
- Showers: use small amounts of biodegradable soap, and use the beach showers ashore where they exist.
Cleaning the boat without cleaning the reef
Washing the boat sends whatever is in the bucket straight into the water. Panama has no labelling law for marine cleaners that we could find, so choose carefully.
- Use fresh water and a soft brush first. Much salt and dust comes off with nothing else.
- Choose phosphate-free, biodegradable boat soap, and use less than the label says.
- Keep bleach, ammonia, acid hull cleaners, teak brighteners and solvent degreasers off the deck at anchor. Use them ashore or in the yard, where runoff can be caught.
- Sand, paint and scrape antifouling only in a yard that collects the dust; see haul-out yards.
- Wash in the marina rather than at a reef or seagrass anchorage, and follow the marina's rules. Panamarina sits inside a national park, so follow its rules on waste and bottom work.
Sunscreen counts too. Apply it well before swimming, and put rash guards on guests snorkelling over reefs; see reef protection in San Blas.
Your practical starting checklist
- Strip packaging ashore and provision with reusable bags, bottles and containers.
- Post a placard: no plastic or other garbage overboard, and food waste only 12 nm offshore (3 nm if ground).
- Leave all single-use plastic and foam behind before entering a protected area.
- Separate trash aboard and land it only at a marina with proper collection.
- Wash with fresh water and phosphate-free soap, and keep harsh chemicals for the yard.
- Close grey-water and holding tanks before entering canal waters.
Frequently asked questions
Can I throw food scraps overboard in Panama?
Only well offshore. On the Caribbean coast, a MARPOL special area, food waste must go 12 nm or more from land, or 3 nm if ground to under 25 mm. The same distances apply on the Pacific. Never at anchor.
Are single-use plastics banned on boats in Panama?
Inside protected areas, yes. MiAmbiente's Resolución DM-0496-2025 bans single-use plastic and foam in SINAP areas from 1 January 2026, for visitors and tour operators. Elsewhere, Ley 187 de 2020 phases out specific items.
What boat soap should I use in Panama?
A phosphate-free, biodegradable boat soap, used sparingly with fresh water. Keep bleach, acids and solvent cleaners for the yard, where runoff is caught.
Where do I leave my trash after San Blas?
Bring it back to a marina such as Linton Bay, or to Portobelo or Panama City. Island collection is limited, and handing it to someone without asking where it goes often means it is burned or dumped.
The next question to answer
The environment sub-hub. Read Clean boating in Panama.
Holding tanks and discharge distances. Read Sewage and pump-out in Panama.
Where the 2026 plastics ban applies. Read Panama's protected marine areas.
Same topic in Florida: coming from the US? Compare One moment, please....
Official resources
Use the relevant Panamanian authority for current requirements and fees. These resources are the next place to check; a practical recommendation is not an agency determination.
- West P&I (secondary): MARPOL Annex V Wider Caribbean Region Special Area, from 1 May 2011 ↗
- MiAmbiente: Resolución DM-0496-2025, single-use plastics and foam banned in protected areas from 1 Jan 2026 ↗
- MiAmbiente: phases of Ley 187 de 2020 on single-use plastics ↗
- Gaceta Oficial 28448-B: Ley 1 de 19 de enero de 2018 (bolsas reutilizables) ↗
- ACP Norma 2610 HIP 111: descargas de efluentes (rev. Feb 2021) ↗
- IGY Marinas: Red Frog Beach Island Marina services and rules ↗