Indonesia Contributes World`s Highest Plastic Waste to Oceans
4 December 2016 09:06 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Environment and Forestry Ministry's ocean and coastal pollution management director (PPKPL) Heru Waluyo stated that Indonesia came second as the world’s highest plastic waste to the ocean.
"It is based on the result of a study conducted by one university in The United States of America, and the plastic waste is produced by countries with good economy growth as Thailand, China, and The Phillipines, and others," he said while attending coastal cleanup in Situbondo, East Java on Saturday (4/12).
With such economy growth, he added, the people’s consumption rises and they tend to consume numerous products of packaged food. The high consumption is paired with the lack of awareness of the people toward their own environment. The plastic waste they disposed and accumulated in the ocean will harm marine biota and its habitat such as mangroves and coral reefs.
"Specifically, there is big amount of waste in the coastal area around Kilensari village, Panarukan district, Situbondo and it potentially goes to the ocean. Therefore, the government has to pay more attention by providing coastal areas with waste bins," he said.
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