Workers clear up garbage piling up in Jakarta Bay area as part of the earliest local government combat against waste on its waters. (Photo: AFP) Hanoi (VNA) – Indonesia has set a target toreduce the amount of waste it dumps into the ocean by 70 percent by 2025 toprotect the environment, according to Pamuji Lestari, a senior official fromthe country’s Ministry for Human Development and Cultural Affairs.
The target will be achieved gradually with enthusiasticinvolvement from local people in a campaign promoting a plastic waste-freeIndonesia, the official said.
The campaign forms part of a national one to raise publicawareness of the importance of clean environment and many community-basedactivist groups have taken part in projects to clean up plastic waste bymotivating people to reduce the use of plastics.
The nation of17,000 islands is facing a serious environmental problem as it is the world’s secondlargest source of plastic waste after China. Due to the poor waste management,million tonnes of the plastics end up in rivers and ocean.
Last month, residents of the Thousand Islands offJakarta’s coast were battling waves of trash, with an estimated 40 tonnes ofrubbish collected daily, while a sperm whale was found dead in a marine parkoff Sulawesi island with 115 plastic cups and 25 plastic bags in its stomach.
Last year, popular tourist destination Bali declared a“garbage emergency” after a 6km stretch of its beach was inundated with arising tide of plastic rubbish. –VNA
VNA
