The government has already issued Presidential Regulation No. 83 of 2018 concerning marine waste handling, Director of Waste Management at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) Novrizal Tahar said at a press conference on The Antheia Project here on Thursday.
It underlines Indonesia's commitment to reducing marine waste by 70 percent by 2025.
"The database that we calculate in 2021, there is progress. We have succeeded in reducing 28.5 percent of plastic waste into the sea compared to the baseline in 2018," Tahar informed.
In 2018, which served as the base year for the target reduction, an estimated 615,674.63 tons of plastic waste ended up in the sea.
Out of the total waste, 538,182.77 tons came from land and 77,491.86 tons came from activities at sea.
More plastic waste was kept from flowing into the sea in 2021 thanks to a reduction of 15.3 percent achieved in 2020 and 8.10 percent in 2019.
It is projected that there will be a 38.5-percent reduction in plastic waste entering the sea in 2022.
"We haven't counted 2022 yet. Around January 2023, we will calculate the data. Our projection can reach 38.5 percent," he informed.
Tahar said he is optimistic that the 2025 target of a 70-percent reduction in plastic waste entering the sea can be achieved.
He informed that the national coordinating team for marine debris handling, which consists of ministries and government agencies, has devised several strategies to accelerate the reduction of marine debris.
One such strategy involves education and religious activities to support lifestyle changes.
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Translator: Prisca Triferna Violleta, Katriana
Editor: Sri Haryati
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