Assistant Deputy for Waste Management Rofi Alhanif in an online discussion on Friday (October 4, 2024). - Photo: Antara
JAKARTA: (Bernama-Antara) Indonesia’s Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment reported a decline of 41.68 per cent in the leakage of plastic trash into the ocean, or equal to 256,614 tonnes of waste generation, since 2018.
In an online discussion on Friday (Oct 4), the ministry's Assistant Deputy for Waste Management Rofi Alhanif noted that in 2018, the leakage of plastic waste into the ocean reached 615,675 tonnes, reported Antara news agency.
According to data from the National Coordination Team for Marine Debris Management (TKNPSL), 359,061 tonnes of plastic waste leaked into the ocean in 2023.
The Indonesian government earlier targeted reducing plastic waste entering the ocean to 70 per cent by 2025 as stated in the Marine Debris Handling National Action Plan (RAN PSL).
He drew attention to several challenges that must be addressed to achieve the target, such as the waste collection rate that had yet to be optimal and an inadequate budget for waste management systems and human resource capacity.
"Our waste collection is not yet optimal, especially in rural areas or regions whose waste management services are still very weak," he remarked.
Alhanif also stated that plastic consumption is increasing in line with the growth of the population.
Furthermore, the other challenges are waste management in ports and marine tourism areas that have yet to be optimal, people's awareness that still needs to be increased, and land and sea waste data management systems that are not yet integrated. - Bernama-Antara
