Indonesia reduces 28.5% of plastic waste to sea in 2021

Director of Waste Management at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry Novrizal Tahar (center) at a press conference in Jakarta on November 24 (Photo: ANTARA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Indonesia succeeded in reducing the amount of plastic waste flowing into the sea by 28.5% in 2021, and it is striving to realise the target of a 70% reduction by 2025, according to the country's Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK).

Speaking at a recent press conference, Director of Waste Management at KLHK Novrizal Tahar said in 2018, which served as the base year for the target reduction, an estimated 615,674.63 tonnes of plastic waste ended up in the sea.

Out of the total, over 538,182 tonnes came from land and nearly 77,500 tonnes from activities at sea.

More plastic waste was kept from flowing into the sea in 2021 thanks to a reduction of 15.3% achieved in 2020 and 8.10% in 2019.

It is projected that there will be a 38.5% reduction in plastic waste entering the sea in 2022.

Tahar said the data for 2022 will be officially published in January 2023.

The official said he is optimistic that Indonesia can achieve its goal of reducing plastic waste into the sea by 70% by 2025./. 

VNA