National Marine Debris Policy and Action Plan 2021-2030 launched

PUTRAJAYA, Nov 16 -- The National Marine Debris Policy and Action Plan 2021-2030 launched today outlines the key measures and activities to be taken in tackling marine debris pollution in the country, the Ministry of Environment and Water (KASA) said. 

The soft launch of the policy took place virtually at the SEA of Solutions 2021 (SoS2021) conference here that was officiated by Environment and Water Minister Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man.

KASA said the policy, which was formulated with the support of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) through the sponsorship of the Swedish government, outlined five key pillars that would be implemented through 17 action plans as well as 103 key actions and activities.

“The policy covers the establishment of a marine debris database, including information on hotspots and plastic debris routes from land to sea to provide guidance on appropriate actions to be taken in the future,” the ministry said in a statement today in conjunction with SoS2021.

Among the efforts to be taken under the policy is to encourage the development of highly innovative, environmentally friendly and standardised packaging materials to reduce the widespread use of single-use plastics.

In his speech at the conference, Tuan Ibrahim said Malaysia had implemented the Roadmap Towards Zero Single-Use Plastics 2018-2030 to address shortcomings in plastic waste management.

He said the plan was implemented based on the Plastic Management Framework 2021-2030 which focused on the implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and the concept of circularity to reduce plastic waste along the value chain.

“We are optimistic that the Circular Economy concept is a game-changer, a catalyst for the sustainability of plastic management and the generation of new economic resources in the country,” he said, adding that the potential for plastic recycling is around USD1.3 billion a year based on the ‘Market Study for Malaysia: Plastics Circularity, Opportunities and Barriers’ by the World Bank.

The three-day SoS2021 conference which begins today and themed ‘Accelerating Solutions to Reduce Plastic Waste’, brings together experts, policymakers and stakeholders to discuss strategies to tackle marine plastic waste pollution.

-- BERNAMA