New Initiative to Boost Efforts to Combat Marine Plastic Pollution

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): South Korea has granted $9 million aid to the Philippines and Timor-Leste in support of initiatives aimed at combating marine plastic pollution in these countries. The grant is part of the six-year initiative titled "Reducing Marine Plastics in the East Asian Seas Region".

The initiative has selected a total of 10 sites to implement the project- four in Timor-Leste and six in the Philippines. The selected sites are coastal municipalities of Atauro, Manatuto, Liquica, and Dili in Timor-Leste and the coastal communities of the municipalities of Bulan and Daanbantayan, and the cities of Calbayog, Dipolog, Puerto Princesa, and Tandag in the Philippines.

Incidentally, the Philippines has been cited as one of the world’s top five contributors to global marine plastic pollution. Timor-Leste has been facing lack of infrastructure to manage its waste, including plastics.

Sunhyung Ryu, Director of Marine Conservation Division of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF) noted that the project aims to share the experiences and best practices of plastic waste management and recycling technologies practised in Korea. It will enhance the infrastructure for combating marine debris and plastic pollution in the two countries, Ryu added.