Minister Of Environment And Forestry Calls Plastic Waste Pollution Still A Global Problem

DOC/Residents carry fish on the beach filled with plastic waste in Kwanyar Barat Village, Bangkalan, East Java, Saturday (21/5/2022). BETWEEN PHOTO/Patrix Cahyo Lumintu/Ds/hp.

JAKARTA - Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya Bakar reminded that the rapid increase in plastic pollution is still a serious global problem because it has a negative impact on the environment, economy, social and health.

"The issue of plastic pollution is a global joint problem that must be resolved together," he said as quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, June 13.

The United Nations Environmental Program or the United Nation Environment Program estimates that the amount of plastic waste entering the aquatic ecosystem can nearly triple from around 9-14 million tons per year in 2016 to 23-37 million tons per year by 2040.

From May 29 to June 2, 2023, the second meeting of the Government Negotiations Committee (INC-2) in Paris highlighted the issue of plastic pollution around the world.

The meeting is expected to produce agreements with internationally binding legalized nature in order to bind as a common force to overcome the problem of plastic pollution.

"This is in line with our efforts in Indonesia that are preparing the concept of zero waste,zero emissions, as well as we work in terms of forest and land use with the work concept of Folu Net Sink 2030," said Minister Siti.

Siti said the Indonesian government explored and expanded its reduced, reuse, and recycle strategies by implementing a waste management scheme by optimizing the value chain.

The government implements the concept of a circular economy and builds industrialization of waste management through the use of technology and improvement of professionally managed and integrated waste processing facilities with the orientation for plastic waste into a reuse, recycle, reoriented, and diversified approach.

"Thank you for the hard work of all parties until we arrive at the current phase which can be said to be left behind compared to activities in other countries. We are not underdeveloped, we are walking, and continue to work," concluded Minister Siti.