Fisheries Ministry to Reduce Single-use Plastics in Fishing Ports

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Maritime Affairs and and Fisheries Ministry (KKP) is committed to reducing marine plastic debris by limiting singe-use plastics in fishing ports.

"The regulation has been made. We have selected plastics in fishing ports managed by the KKP, and we have put them into trash bins and plastic waste treatment devices," Bramantya Satya Murti, director general for maritime spatial management of the ministry, said on the sidelines of the Plastic Waste Parade event held here on Sunday.

To reduce plastic use, the ministry has set up plants to produce flake ice that could be put into cool boxes for fishermen.

However, plastic waste remains a problem particularly in small islands, hence industries using plastics are asked to withdraw plastics from their supply chains because the public do not know where to return the plastics, he said.

The Government has issued a Presidential Regulation (PP) No 83 Year 2018 on marine plastic debris to be supervised by the KKP Ministry in cooperation with the Environmental Affairs and Forestry Ministry, and under the coordination of the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs.

"We have set a target that 70 percent of land waste must not enter ocean. It's a huge task. This task could not be done by the government alone. Other stakeholders, the community and producers must also be responsible for Indonesia's ocean," he said.

Earlier, in the same event, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti has asked all companies that produce plastic products to help clean up seas and oceans from plastic debris.

Plastic companies should join the fight against marine plastic debris, so far carried out only by the public, the minister said.

Indonesia is the world's second largest contributor of marine plastic debris and this could threaten the country's fish exports, she remarked.

"If it is not (cleaned up), there will be more plastics than fish in ocean by 2040," she added.

"Whereas, Indonesia is the world's second largest fish exporter to Europe, and fourth largest fish exporter to the world," she noted.

She estimated that 70 percent of plastic debris would likely to enter Indonesian waters, given the fact that 71 percent of the country's territory is waters.

"We need fish, we need beautiful seas. Fish is for food. Fish is for our fishery industry. In the meantime, we also need to eat to make us smart and to make us healthy," Susi Pudjiastuti said.

She pledged to continue campaigning against plastic waste and to improve the public awareness.

ANTARA