Govt Develops Bioplastics from Marine Biota to Tackle Plastic Waste
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9 December 2020 20:47 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries through its Research and Human Resources Agency (BRSDM) is developing bioplastics by using various marine creatures in a bid to tackle plastic waste in oceans.
“The Indonesian government is committed to reducing 70 percent of marine litter by 2025 as stated in the Marine Debris Action Plan, a national cooperation plan which is aimed at developing policies to reduce and tackle marine debris,” said the agency head Sjarief Widjaja in a press release here on Wednesday, Dec. 9.
He explained that bioplastics are produced from biological materials or renewable biomass sources, which are safe and environmentally friendly alternative sources. This was the government’s reason to create bioplastics from marine biota.
Among the potential sources for bioplastics, Sjarief mentioned, include chitosan which comes from crustaceans and crab shells, as well as agar and carrageenan from marine macroalgae.
“Support from the government, industry, and scientists is needed to push the research and development of marine biota-based bioplastics,” he remarked.
On Tuesday, Dec. 8, Sjarief said the agency held a virtual International Conference on Marine and Fisheries Product Processing and Biotechnology to discuss bioplastics production.
Read: Indonesia Actively Partakes in IAEA's Plastic Waste Control Program
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