UNEP Leads Joint Effort to Combat Marine Litter

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in collaboration with the Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA) and the Government of Sweden has announced a new initiative to combat marine litter and plastic pollution in Southeast Asian region.

The UNEP initiative will be funded by the Sweden International Development Agency (SIDA) and will be implemented in the Southeast Asian countries of Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam. The joint effort aims to reduce marine litter, impart proper awareness on plastic pollution and upgrade the region’s waste management systems and infrastructure facilities.

The project, which will last for four years, will engage stakeholders from the entire plastic value chain. The project will collect and analyze plastic leakage and marine litter data at regional, national and local levels. This information will be used as baseline data to develop strategic policies to curb marine litter.

According to Dechen Tsering, Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, UNEP, six Asian countries are responsible for nearly 60% of all plastics that ends up in oceans. The widespread use of single-use plastics and the limited waste management systems in the region contribute to rising plastic pollution, Tsering noted.

The recently concluded Basel Convention Working Group Meet too had highlighted the need to boost efforts to address marine plastics.