ISSN 2287-8971

Marine Litter News
Volume 7 • Issues 1 • June 2016

In this volume
1. ‘Face to Fish’ campaign successfully got 55 companies to agree not to use microplastics in cosmetics
2. Zero Plastic Resin Pellet Loss in Australia
3. “See – Share – Solve” – Community Engagement with the Global Alert Platform to Report Trash Hotspots in our Waters
4. Taiwan and Japan discuss cross-border marine debris strategies
5. Keeping Vietnam’s Coasts Clean — Situation of marine debris’ harmful effects and green initiatives!
6. How do Chinese NGOs Initiate Public Marine Litter Disposal Advocacy? Take Coastline Guardian Project as example
7. Hong Kong Cleanup Awards 2015 15th anniversary Hong Kong Cleanup Awards Ceremony and Ecozine Winter Cocktail
8. From the change of thinking and doing for reducing marine debris problem
9. New government project to mitigate EPS buoys debris from aquaculture grounds in Korea

Asia Pacific Civil Forum on Marine LitterPreface
SAVE THE DATESMarine Litter News

Vol. 7(1): 3, June 2016
Asia Pacific Civil Forum on Marine Litter

14th Marine Litter Summit 2016 Mie Conference, Japan“Thinking about biodiversity and marine litter, and the North Pacific Ocean Regional Cooperation”
Marine Litter Summit in Japan has been held annually since 2003, in various locations with different theme to improveand prevent the problem of severe escalation of marine litter. Once a year, representatives from government officialsof the country and municipality, NGOs and Non Profits, private businesses, researchers, and local citizens gather toshare information of the problems of which the locals are facing in the area the conference is held, and suggest what
specific measures they can take against their current condition.
The 14th summit will be held in Mie Prefecture. This is our 2nd time having the conference in Mie, since the Tottori Conference held in 2008. Influenced by the conference in Tottori, the local citizen from 3 prefectures (Aichi, Gifu, and Mie)has been organizing a beach cleanup in Toshi Island since then. The 10th Conference of the Parties to the Convention
on Biological Diversity was also held in 2010 in Nagoya, and 20 individual goals were set aiming for completion by 2020.
National Biodiversity Strategy was set aside for Japan, but marine litter was not known as a major task.
In 2015 at the G7 summit held in Ellmau, Germany, Marine Debris and Plastic Waste was recognized as an important
problem for the first time and was added on to the annex as an “action plan to deal with problem of marine litter.” At theG7 summit held in Ise Shima, Japan this May, the leaders’ declaration stated to “reaffirm our commitment to address
marine litter, recognizing that our efforts on resource efficiency and the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, and recycle) also contributeto the prevention and reduction of marine litter, particularly plastic, from land-based sources.”
So, with that in mind we will discuss 3 themes at the 14th Marine Litter Summit 2016 Mie Conference.

Theme

Date

1. Biodiversity and marine litter
2. Preventing and reduction of plastic litter into the ocean
3. Cooperation of North Pacific Ocean Region
28 - 30 October 2016

Location Conference: Ise City of Mie Prefecture
Fieldwork: Toshi Island of Toba City
Host Japan Environmental Action Network (JEAN), Mie Prefecture
For further information, contact cleanup@jean.jp

Recommended Citation for the whole volume:

Hong, Sunwook. (2016). Marine Litter News from Asia Pacific Civil Forum on Marine Litter,Our Sea of East Asia Network, Vol. 7(1): 32pp, Tongyeong, South Korea.

ISSN 2287-8971
Marine Litter News Vol. 7(1): 32pp. June 2016.
© Asia Pacific Civil Forum on Marine Litter (APML)
The newsletter is biannually published by APML.

Dear readers,This year, concerns on marine anthropogenic litter havebeen increasing alarmingly. The second resolution on
marine litter was adopted at the second United Nations Environmental Assembly held in Nairobi, Kenya
in May, 2016. G7 Summit in Ise Shima, Japan in May
recognized marine litter problem to be prevented andreduced at the first place. Hundreds of research scientists gathered in Lanzarote, Spain in the same month toshare updated information and research results and to
identify gaps and needs for further study. Engagementof high-level societies will allow marine litter issue to receive more attention and also lead the researchers tocontribute to lessening knowledge gaps.
In this issue of the journal, you can see NGOs’ brisk
actions to combat marine litter in the hot spot areas.
It contains nine reports from Korea, Australia, Hong
Kong, Taiwan, mainland of China, and Vietnam. NGOs’
actions have embraced not only coastal cleanup but
also scientific data gathering and policy improvement.
Most of our actions have been on the basis of active citizen participation. Using smart phone apps, citizens areable to produce meaningful data to show hot spots andfilter out undesirable consumer products. They also canbe a part of large scale monitoring. Their participationand monitoring cover diverse scales from macro plastic
litter to microplastics. I am really happy to share these
exiting stories with you.
Moreover, I am very honored to introduce two newmembers of OSEAN: Ocean Conservancy and Tangaroa Blue Foundation.

ment of nation’s ocean resources and ecosystems. Informed by science, Ocean Conservancy’s work guides
policy and engages people in protecting the ocean andits wildlife for future generations. Ocean Conservancy
has organized International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) for
30 years. I personally appreciate the works of Ocean
Conservancy because ICC has inspired me to work foraddressing marine litter issue for 15 years. Also, most of
the civil forum members have been serving as country
coordinators of ICC.
Tangaroa Blue Foundation is an Australian-wide nonprofit organization dedicated to the removal and prevention of marine litter. The founder, Ms. Heidi Taylor
says ‘’In Maori and Polynesian mythology, Tangaroa is
the god of the ocean. Tangaroa made laws to protect
the ocean and its sea creatures. Tiaki mai i ahau, maku
ano koe e tiaki (If you look after me, then I will look afteryou). If all we do is clean-up, that is all we will ever do.”I would like to sincerely thank all of our members’ unflagging and indefatigable efforts to find solutions formarine litter.
Finally, we would like to inform you that the East Asia
Civil Forum on Marine Litter is expanded to Asia Pacific
Civil Forum on Marine Litter from July 2016.
With love,
July 2016,
Editor, Sunwook Hong (Ph.D., President of OSEAN)

Ocean Conservancy is one of the most globally wellknown and influential NGO. For more than 40 years,
Ocean Conservancy has been championing sciencebased policy solutions to protect the healthy and diverse
ocean ecosystems that support our planet. Through its
programs, Ocean Conservancy provides leadership on
the protection of special places, restoration of sustainable fisheries, the reduction of human impacts on ocean
ecosystems, and the need for comprehensive manage

3

ACTIVITIESMarine Litter News

Vol. 7(1): 4-7, June 2016
Asia Pacific Civil Forum on Marine Litter‘Face to Fish’ campaign successfully got 55 companies
to agree not to use microplastics in cosmetics
Sunwook Hong,
President of OSEAN,
oceanook@gmail.com

Cosmetics are used to wash body, to incense, to conceal blemish, and to color. How often do people use
cosmetics that include microplastics in them? Do you know which brands and products contain plastics?
Have you checked if the product you use has plastics?

Microplastic grains in toothpaste used by Participant C (© KWEN)

Four women in early and middle 20s participated in an investigation regarding microplastic ingredients incosmetics. They randomly selected 10 products from 5 popular brands and checked the ingredient label
to see whether each product contained plastic in it. The participants also checked the products that they
use at home. The findings of the investigation revealed that, 26 of the 40 products contained plastics.
Eleven products didn’t contain plastics while the rest were not possible to identify.
Participant A said, “I usually use a body scrubber having grains and have been curious as to why thegrains are not dissolved in the water,” and couldn’t contain her surprise when she realized that “I guessedso since I didn’t rub enough at the time. But the grains must have been plastics.” Participant B said that,“I don’t use scrubbers because they cause my skin irritation. So I thought at heart it was a relief that I
haven’t used them since the scrubbers were a shock to other participants. However, it is shocking to hearthat toothpaste contains plastics. I am too scared to brush teeth with the toothpaste having polyethylene
tonight.” Participant C who majors in environment at a university said that, “I have made an effort to abstain from using disposables and to reduce waste in my own way because I study about the environment.
Such cosmetics can be the main contributor of hundreds of thousands of plastics to that enter the sea! I
wonder just how many students in my department know of this fact.” She, criticized the fact that cosmet-

Microplastic particles known as microbeads, microspheres, or nanospheres are included as ingredientsin a variety of products. UNEP report (2015) says ‘’Plastic ingredients are applied to deodorant, shampoo,
conditioner, shower gel, lipstick, hair colouring, shaving cream, sunscreen, insect repellent, anti-wrinkle
creams, moisturizers, hair spay, facial masks, baby care products, eye shadow, mascara etc.” Usage of
microplastics is beyond our imagination. They are made of polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyacrylate, polyurethane, etc. Those tiny plastic beads can physically rub the surface of skin or tooth, probably causing scar on the skin by excessive rubbing or periodontal disease due to the residue in crevasses
in the gums. The particles are poured down the drain after use, cannot be filtered in wastewater treatment
system, and do not decompose in the natural marine environment. They have toxic additives on the process of manufacturing and tend to absorb toxic chemicals from the environment, causing harmful effecton marine biota and potentially on seafood contamination and human health. Biodegradable plastics
such as polylactic acid are not advisable as alternatives because they are subjected to be degraded in
ideal settings. Most of people don’t notice that they pour microplastics down to the environment everyday. According to Cosmetics Europe, over 4,000 tons of microbeads were used in 2012 in Europe.

ics contain plastics that are not known well to the public. Yes, it is sadly true that we do not know muchenough about the real status on plastic ingredients of cosmetics and toothpastes sold in Korea.

Marine Litter News 45‘Face to Fish’ campaign of Korea Women’s Environmental Network Designed by (© UKERI)

Fifty five companies including major Korean brands such as Amore Pacific, LG Household & Health Care,
Able C&C, Nature Republic, The Face Shop, Skin Food, and multinational corporations, like L’Oreal Korea,
ELCA Korea (Estee Lauder, Orbis, Clinique), Sisheido Professional Korea, Johnson & Johnson Korea responded they will stop using microplastics and find alternative materials. Forty three among them signed
the agreement that KCA’s self rule on using plastic microbeads, which is similar level to the act ‘The Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015’ passed in the United States last year. Toothpaste manufacturers such
Microplastics in the cosmetics can affect marine environment by passing wastewater treatment plant (© UKERI)

as CJ Lion, Amore Pacific, Aekyung Industry, LG Household & Health, Amway Korea, P&G Korea, andso on, toothpaste manufacturers are included. The self rule will be applied from July 2017. The products
KWEN listed at this time may include liquid synthetic polymers such as acrylates copolymer applied as‘Face to Fish’ is a campaign to beat microbeads in cosmetics and personal care products by Korea
Women’s Environmental Network (KWEN) in collaboration with Plastic Soup Foundation. Since 2015 theactivists of KWEN have investigated the whole ingredients of about 9,000 products of body wash, foamcleansing, scrubs, cleaners in Korean markets. They used the smart phone app, ‘Hwa He’ which provides
whole composition information of each cosmetic as well as environmental safety level, harmful additives,potential allergens, and suitable skin types, to help consumers’ wise purchase. They researched about
9,000 products and found 446 ones (ca. 5%) most likely having microplastics. They sent formal letters toeach brand to ask if the company has plans to stop manufacturing microplastics-including products or
to use alternative materials. They also had a meeting with Korea Cosmetic Association of manufacturers
in 2016.

Marine Litter News 6

binder, hair fixative, film formation, or suspending agent. UNEP (2015) excludes water-soluble materials
and liquid synthetic polymers in the definition of ‘microplastics’. Liquid type polymer could be a challenge
regarding this issue.
‘Face to Fish’ campaign started online public petition to press government to make a law against using
microplastics in cosmetics. Participants in the investigation above expressed support for a legal ban andalso wondered what else they can do in the meantime. You can check all ingredients in cosmetics you
have used or want to buy by the app ‘Hwa He’ or by clicking ‘ecofem.or.kr/facetofish’ to avoid to be polluters. You can also be a member to support KWEN to end this preventable and unnecessary source ofmarine plastic pollution.
* All information, photo and illustration were provided by KWEN.

7

ACTIVITIESMarine Litter News

Vol. 7(1): 8-10, June 2016
Asia Pacific Civil Forum on Marine Littercoming from local sources rather than being washed onto beaches from the ocean. The Tangaroa Blue Foundation
began visiting the perimeters of pellet manufacturing facilities around the Bay where they commonly found pellets
on the ground leading directly to stormwater drains (Figure 5). They initiated a plan to reduce the release of pellets
at the source.

Zero Plastic Resin Pellet Loss in Australia
Australia

Victoria

Heidi Taylor, Tangaroa Blue Foundation, Managing Director, heidi@tangaroablue.org
Karen Ashton, Tangaroa Blue Foundation, Project Officer, karen@tangaroablue.org

Plastic resin pellets are the raw material from which alllarger moulded plastic items are made (Wilber, 1987).
They can be clear to translucent and have a variety ofcolours; the most common appearing to be opaque
white to off-white; their size ranges from 2-6 mm (Gregory, 1977) (Figure 1)

Metropolitan Melbourne
Maribyrnong (C)Yarra (C)Melbourne (C)Hobsons Bay (C)Port Phillip (C) Stonnington (C)Glen Eira (C)Port Phillip Bay

Bayside (C)Fig. 3. Map of the Port Phillip Bay, Victoria, Australia (City of Port Phillip, 2016)

Fig. 2. Pellets on a beach in Australia (H Taylor, 2013)

Fig. 1. Plastic resin pellets (H Taylor, 2013)

Pellets are un-intentionally released to the environment
during production and transportation (Derraik, 2002);
this may be due to an overflow or insufficient packaging. When they are spilt on the ground they easily travel
through stormwater drains to our rivers and oceans as
they are very buoyant (Redford et al., 1997). As seen in
Figure 2 they are found on beaches all around the world,even in remote locations.

Marine Litter News 8Pellets pose a significant risk to wildlife as they are often
mistaken for food and ingested. Research has found thatthey can cause intestinal obstruction and ulcerations inforaging birds (Bourne, 1976; Bourne & Imber, 1982; Colabuono et al., 2009). They have also been found to alter
the ability of the organism to secrete gastric enzymes(Azzarello & Van Vleet, 1987; Colabuono et al., 2009).
The Tangaroa Blue Foundation are a not-for-profit marine
debris mitigation organisation who coordinate the Australian Marine Debris Initiative. They run beach cleans allaround Australia and collect data on the items that arefound. There are currently 5.5 million items of marine debris recorded in the Australian Marine Debris Database.
Analysis of the data showed that the Port Phillip Bay inVictoria was a pellet hot spot through clean-ups conducted at beaches, stormwater drains and rivers (Figures 3 and 4). The Port Phillip Bay is almost a closed
system therefore it was deduced that the pellets were

Fig. 4. The locations where plastic resin pellets have beenfound in the environment in the Port Phillip Bay

Fig. 5. A plastic resin pellet spill at a factory in the Port Phillip Bay(H Taylor, 2013)

In the USA a program called Operation Clean Sweep ® was introduced by the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI) in
1992. The program offers simple, cost effective solutions for the plastic industry to implement to minimise the releaseof pellets to the environment. For example using catch trays and tarpaulins underneath unloading valves (Figure 6)
and providing pellet disposal bins. Companies who have started using Operation Clean Sweep ® describe it as easy
and inexpensive to put into place, useful to help comply with legislation and avoid government penalties and a good
way to raise awareness amongst employees.

9The Tangaroa Blue Foundation has introduced Operation Clean Sweep ® to Australia through a project
funded by the Victorian Government’s Litter Hotspots
Program. A concise manual has been created which
explains the program and helps companies to implement it at their facility; it can be downloaded for free
from: http://www.opcleansweep.org.au/manual. The
Australian Plastics and Chemicals Industries Association (PACIA) have reviewed the manual to ensure that
it is relevant for the Australian industry. The programis in the process of being trailed in the Port Phillip Bay
after which it will be introduced as a national programin Australia. It is hoped that this will significantly reduce
the amount of pellets being released to the environment Fig. 6. Using a tarpaulin and catch tray underneath an unloading
valve can help to contain any potential pellet spills (TRANSFLO, 2015)
in Australia.

ACTIVITIESMarine Litter News

Vol. 7(1): 11-14, June 2016
Asia Pacific Civil Forum on Marine Litter“See – Share – Solve” – Community Engagement with
the Global Alert Platform toReport Trash Hotspots in our Waters
Doug Woodring
Founder of Ocean Recovery Alliance/Global Alert
doug@oceanrecov.org

If you are interested in finding out more about Operation
Clean Sweep ® Australia you can visit our website at:
http://www.opcleansweep.org.au/ or email us at: info@
opcleansweep.org.au.

Critical Need
Healthy marine and coastal ecosystems support all lifeon earth and provide necessary services, including foodsecurity, resources for economic growth, recreation andtourism, all of which can hinder or benefit the welfareof the coastline itself. The United Nations Environment
Program (UNEP) has estimated that over 70% of marine debris starts out on land. From there it makes its
way into the lakes, rivers and streams that form an extensive network—a circulatory system—that can carrytrash across continents and straight into the heart of theworld’s ocean. Floating trash has no geographic or political boundaries, so solutions must involve scalable international collaboration, yet be local in scope and reach.

References
Azzarello, M.Y., Van Vleet, E.S., 1987. Marine birds and plastic pollution. Marine Ecology Progress Series 37, 295-303
Bourne, W.R.P., 1976. Seabirds and pollution, in: Johnson, R., (Ed.), Marine Pollution. Academic Press, London
Bourne, W.R.P., Imber, M.J., 1982. Plastic pellets collected by a prion on Gough Island, Central South Atlantic Ocean.

Marine Pollution Bulletin 13, 20-21
City of Port Phillip., 2016. Who lives in our City? Retrieved from:http://www.portphillip.vic.gov.au/about_copp.htm
Colabuono, F.I., Barquete, V., Domingues, B.S., Montone, R.C., 2009. Plastic ingestion by
Procellariiformes in Southern Brazil. Marine Pollution Bulletin 58, 93-96

Solution: GLOBAL ALERT | Floating Trash

Derraik J.G.B., 2002. The pollution of the marine environment by plastic debris: a review. Marine Pollution Bulletin 44, 842-852
Gregory M.R., 1977. Plastic pellets on New Zealand beaches. Marine Pollution Bulletin 8, 82-84
Redford, D.P., Trulli, H., Trulli, W., 1997. Sources of plastic pellets in the aquatic environment. In: Coe J.M., Rogers D.B. (Eds.),
Marine Debris: Sources, Impacts, and Solutions. Springer-Verlag. New York, NY, pp 335-343
Transflo., 2015. Plastics. Retrieved from: http://www.transflo.net/index.cfm/products/plastics/
Wilber R.J., 1987. Plastic in the North Atlantic. Oceanus 30, 61-68

Land-based marine debris flowing to our ocean with nogeographic or political boundaries

Marine Litter News 10

To address the problem of increasing marine debris flowing to our ocean, Ocean Recovery Alliance announced
the Global Alert platform at the Clinton Global Initiative,
as an innovative, online tool and mobile app which allows users to report, rate and map plastic pollution levelsin their rivers, along ocean coastlines, and even underwater on reefs. The platform was partly funded by theWorld Bank’s Global Partnership for Oceans, and it is
now one of the most powerful tools to broaden awareness, aggregate information for decision-making, andspur solutions to reduce plastic debris outflows via the11world’s rivers or accumulation on coastlines. Global Alert
helps to address issues of plastic pollution in our watersby:∙ Enabling community participation for reporting andproblem solving∙ Catalyzing active watershed stewardship focusing on rivers∙ Providing global awareness and monitoring
By visualizing trash hot-spots on a map, along with being able to learn about best practices for cleanup andprevention programs, community groups can develop
better recycling programs and plastic management
strategies, ultimately leading to less floating trash making its way to the ocean. Using Global Alert, citizens andschool groups will easily “See, Share and Solve” their
floating trash problems. Users will be able to upload
photos or videos of trash in their water systems or coastlines, provide information on the location and coveragearea based on the volume of trash they see. Monitoring agencies and community groups will be able to add,
review, visualize and analyze their own data, as well as
Global Alert data provided by the community, empowering them to make positive steps for improvements. Together we can leave a legacy of healthy oceans, rivers
and engaged communities. Cleaner water, both freshand salt, will be the result.

Global Alert App. Using the app, citizens and school groups will
easily “See, Share and Solve” their floating trash problems

Marine Litter News 12

The Global Alert App/Platform was recently launchedin Times Square in the month of April on the big digital screens of the Morgan Stanley building. This helped
draw international attention to the issue of plastic in our
ocean and waters, and was highlighted in one of thebusiest locations in the world – Times Square.

Trash in Toyapakeh, Sampalan, and Nusa Penida, Indonesia

Global Alert App/platform launched in Time Square,
New York, USA (April 2016)

CASE STUDY – Bali, Indonesia
The two photos below illustrate the volume and type oftrash found in the landfill which adjacent to the riverbed.
The last picture is of the riverbed itself, which when full,acts as a transport mechanism for the waste to flow directly into the ocean.

Landfill near riverbed, Indonesia

Location of survey sites in Indonesia

Testimonial: “As a result of using the Global Alert Platform, I have been able to host some important meetings
with local businesses, The Nusa Penida Conservation
Department, The Coral Triangle Centre [NGO], The Nusa
Penida “Eco-Club” at the local high school, The Nusa
Penida Youth Forum, local business owners and marine
tourism operators, and the “Camat” of Nusa Penida, or
the district head i.e. the highest governing official on theisland. Through consultation with all of these groups, using data compiled at the trash hot spots, and with discussions about reasons for the trash source, we are now
working on the following initiatives:
1. The 9km shoreline on the north of the island is thenumber 1 trash “hot-spot”: or area most at risk of allowing trash to enter the ocean. Local communities discard their waste on the beach where it is swept away.
When asked why, they insist there is no alternative. Data
from this “hot-spot” has been uploaded to communitymanaged online platform “Global Alert” and socialisation
techniques are being discussed, such as plays.

2. The waste collection service currently services only
2km of this shoreline, but should service all 9km. The
trucks have the time to extend their route but not thebudget. We are determining the budget and also payment mechanisms. Once we are aware of the cost anddiscover a means of sustainably sourcing funds for thetrash collection service expansion, we will provide trashbins to all north shore households and educate them in
how to prepare their waste for collection.
3. On Wednesday March 23rd, a trash cleanup was arranged with members from the Nusa Penida Youth Forum and the Eco-Club. Identifying the types of trash collected and where they are located will help the student
groups come up with socialisation techniques such asplays to perform for the local communities, explaining
why dumping trash is so bad for the environment andeconomy. Footage of these and similar efforts will beshared with the local and international media to highlightthe cause.

13that we can form a visual database to track ideas andprogress.”
Key points: The Global Alert Platform provides a way tovisualize and support advocacy of litter reduction andwaterway/coastal health. Reporting on the platform allows users to share successes, while also alerting local
authorities or other community stakeholders to the importance of cleanup, and long-term prevention with education and improved landfill management and recycling
capacities.
To join the Global Alert Platform, simply sign up at www.
globalalert.org, or download the mobile application touse on your iPhone or Android. If you represent an organization, please get in touch with us about becoming an early adopter. Info@globalalert.org Introduction
Videos: http://bit.ly/GlobalAlert and http://bit.ly/GlobalAlertIntro1

Beach clean up process involving Ecoclub
and Penida along the beach shoreline.

4. The teacher in charge of the Eco-Club is in conversation with a former Head of Customary Performanceand Arts (Kepala Adat), to develop entertainment to be
performed in the temples at various ceremonies, islandwide. The performances will explain the social, economic and environmental effects of trash dumping.

Pak Wayne Oka – Ecoclub Teacher on the clean up

5. A social media campaign under the banner #PenidaTanpaSampah” (“Penida Without Litter”) will collate
photos and information about waste management so

Marine Litter News 14

About: Ocean Recovery Alliance is a 501c3 registered non-profit in California, and is a registered charitable organization in Hong Kong. The
group focuses on initiating innovative and creative programs with collaborators who often are
not directly related to the ocean, in order to bringsolutions and improvements to the health of theocean. The group is one of the first NGOs to beworking with both UNEP and the World Bank, asa result of its two projects at the Clinton Global
Initiative, the other being the Plastic Disclosure
Project (www.plasticdisclosure.org).
In June, 2014, it launched a world-first report on
the natural capital cost of plastic with Trucost
and UNEP at the UN Environmental Assembly in
Nairobi. It also runs the unique Plasticity Forum,
which is now in its 5th year, focusing on plastic
innovation, design, materials, recycling and solutions, for a world without the plastic footprint.

ACTIVITIESMarine Litter News

Vol. 7(1): 15-17, June 2016
Asia Pacific Civil Forum on Marine Litter

Taiwan and Japan discuss cross-bordermarine debris strategies
Taiwan Environmental Information Center,
Kate Chen, <katechen@e-info.org.tw>
Jude Lin, <linlittlep@e-info.org.tw>

Since the inception of the Okinawa-Taiwan Marine Debris
Workshop in 2014, Taiwan and Okinawa government officials and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have
met to discuss strategies and policies to address the
cross-border marine debris problem. From 30 Jan to
1 Feb 2016, both parties resumed their dialogue with afocus on the issues of research, controlling land-based
debris, marine education, and sustaining and expanding
beach clean-up activities. At the opening ceremony, Mr
Hidefumi Toma, Director General of the Okinawa Prefectural Government’s Department of Environmental Affairs,
emphasized that while marine debris is an international
problem, it has the potential to also affect local tourism.
As such, he hopes to rectify the problem through international dialogue and collaboration.

Japanese officials: Viewing marine debris as a resource, incorporating marine environmental education
This year’s workshop consisted of 20 participants from
Okinawa Prefectural Government’s Department of Environmental Affairs and various local Okinawan NGOs,
and 13 participants from Taiwan’s New Taipei City and
Hualien Environmental Protection Departments, as well
as Taiwanese NGOs, Kuroshio Ocean Education Foundation, Tainan Community University, The Society ofWilderness, National Museum of Marine Science andTechnology (NMMST), Foundation of Pescadores Citizens and Taiwan Environmental Information Association(TEIA).

of Environmental Affairs, Mr Tanahara, Okinawa prefecture has been regularly monitoring marine debris along
its shorelines since 2010 and intends to use this data forenvironmental education purposes, as well as to develop recycling strategies and material retrieval from marine
debris. Since the last workshop in 2015, New Taipei City
Environmental Protection Department has also started
marine debris monitoring, with the intention of expanding
clean-up efforts as well as applying the collected data on
marine environmental education initiatives.

Injecting fun into beach clean-ups, Taiwan’s themed
clean-ups target various audiences
While discussing how to attract the general public toparticipate in beach clean-ups, project executive of TEIA,
Kate Chen, introduced the idea of a Valentine’s Daythemed beach clean-up, piquing the interest of many
workshop participants. Mr Kenji Ohori of ISHIGAKI safety-conference leisure on the coast (石垣島沿岸レジャー安全協議会) agreed that themed clean-ups appeal to participants from different walks of life and intends to explore
the incorporation of snorkelling, traditional fishing andkite-flying into future activities. He added that the novelty
of such events could potentially bring about more media coverage, hopefully with the effect of prompting local
governments to clear large cumbersome items which
volunteers cannot manage alone.

According to Head of Environmental Waste Management
Division Okinawa Prefectural Government’s Department

15

Dr Liao Yun-Chih of Taiwan’s NMMST reports beach clean-up festival in Taiwan

Long-term beach clean-up efforts in Japan led tomarine debris bill

Director of Iriomote Island Ecotourism Association (西The Japan Environment Action Network (JEAN) has been
involved in long-term marine debris monitoring using theInternational Coastal Clean-up (ICC) protocol since 1996.
With the objective of solving the marine debris problem
in mind, JEAN has actively encouraged dialogue, shareddata as well as proposed policies to address the problem. Ms Kojima, Secretary General of JEAN, shared that
JEAN’s greatest achievement so far was the 2009 Marine Debris Management Promotion bill, which stipulates
an annual budget towards efforts to resolve Japan’s marine debris issue.

表島エコツーリズム協会), Ms Tokuoka, pointed out thatwhile Iriomote is situated in the Kuroshio current and is
the second largest island in the Okinawa prefecture archipelago, the local population is minimal. Hence mostof marine debris found in Iriomote originated from foreignsources, and consists of a wide variety. Local Iriomoteresidents are baffled as to where the foreign marine
debris are from and the incompetency of these foreigncountries in managing their waste. This prompted astudy by the Iriomote Island Ecotourism Association to
identify the sources of marine debris by analysing barcodes on plastic bottles to identify the countries of origin.

Based on monitoring data dating back to 2005, teamscientist, Chao Jui-Kuang of the Tainan Community
University suggests the need to prioritise the issue ofpolystyrene and plastic packaging. He stressed the urgent need to reconsider the use of these materials andadvocated the use of Internet media to exert pressure
on official authorities and communicate alternative solutions. Through long-term efforts, Tainan passed anautonomous regulation banning polystyrene food containers. However, floating oyster farms remains the largest source of polystyrene. While on-going efforts arefocused on reducing environmental pollution throughimproved management of oyster farm debris, it is hopedthat with continual monitoring and research, the problem
could be eradicated from the source.

It is evident from the experiences of the three above organisations that long-term monitoring data is crucial toresolving the international marine debris problem. BothTaiwan and Okinawa agree that having corresponding
debris classifications across countries and regions are
essential, and have concurred to focus on plastic debris
under five classifications, namely expanded foam plastics, ropes and fishing nets, buoys, PET bottles and otherplastic items. In order to better understand the sourcesof the debris, PET bottles are specially chosen to provide
information on countries of origin. All data shall be published online and findings communicated to respective
governments so as help each country design informed
policies to mitigate the problem.

Marine Litter News 16

Ms Kojima, Secretary General of JEAN demonstrating an environmental education lesson plan

Environmental Education Both on the Beach andin the Classroomtion between the three regions, encouraging networking
between respective countries, local governments, andNGOs.

With regards to education, both Taiwan and Okinawa
representatives shared lesson plans developed by various organizations. Most lesson plans included a “handson” approach, with facilitators encouraging mindful reflection of the issue. Lesson plans were also designed
to be easily carried out in various settings, both indoors
and outdoors. Most lesson plans were designed to caterto pre-school or elementary school children, embodying
the shared ideal across organizations that environmental
awareness should be nurtured from young.

At the closing ceremony, Mr Toma said that through thethree-day event, both parties have benefitted much fromthe exchange of ideas and lesson plans, and expressed
his hope that upon return, participants will be able toapply what they have learnt to good use and in turn influence others to do the same. He added that there is
no better way to encourage and inspire others to action
than with their zeal and enthusiasm. Lastly, in his capacity as an official, he expressed his desire to continue networking with his overseas counterparts in the future, andParticipants suggested improvements to presented les- work on tackling the marine debris problem in the region.
son plans and many suggested a compilation of the lesson plans be made available online to facilitate wider use.

Both parties: sustained dialogue and inclusion ofother “Kuroshio region” countries needed
Both Taiwan and Okinawa representatives agree unanimously that participation by Taiwan and Japan alone isinsufficient and intend to widen the dialogue to include
countries in the Kuroshio current region and eventuallythose in South-east Asia. Efforts will be made in the near
future to contact organizations in the Chinese provincesof Shanghai and Fujian, establishing a hub of collabora17

ACTIVITIESMarine Litter News

Vol. 7(1): 18-21, June 2016
Asia Pacific Civil Forum on Marine Litter

Keeping Vietnam’s Coasts Clean —Situation of marine debris’ harmful effects and green initiatives!

The coastal population of Vietnam has increased by over
25 percent in the last 25 years due to internal migration and population growth. In addition, more and more
people are using coastal areas for leisure and recreation,with a significant growth of the coastal tourism industry.
More than 70 percent of leisure and tourist destinations
in Vietnam are located in coastal areas, attracting annually 80 per cent of total tourist numbers. Associated withincreased coastal zone development is the increased
generation and spread of waste

ed and delivered by urban environmental companies operating in the province. Currently in urban cities, the system is operating effectively, but in the rural coastal areas
there remain communities where there are no garbage
collection systems, especially with the coastal islands.

Nguyen Thi Thu Trang,
Centre for Supporting Green Development (GreenHub),trang.nguyen@greenhub.org.vn

Coastal and marine waters collect and transfer large
amounts of solid waste (sometimes called litter, refuse,garbage, debris). It is believed that in many countries theamount of solid waste on coastlines and beaches is increasing significantly. Globally, plastics are documented
to be about 60-80 per cent of solid waste found in the
coastal and marine environment because of their increased production, use, and resistance to degradation.
Examples of other common waste collected and transported are polystyrene (cups, bottles, packaging), rubber (tyres), wood (construction materials), metals (cans,
drums, wire, containers), personal sanitary items, glass(bottles), cloth (clothing) and paper.
Most coastal waste is believed to originate from hu-

man actions on land, including transportation throughwaterways, with significant amounts also coming fromindustry, tourism, fishing and sewage. Waste, especiallyplastics, may remain a long time (in some cases years) inthe marine environment, travel long distances, and somedegrade into chemicals that may be toxic.
Vietnam is among the top 5 countries that dump plastic
into the world, ranked by mass of mismanaged plastic
waste (in units of millions of metric tons per year). Roughly 8 million tons of plastic is dumped into the world’s
oceans every year, and according to Jenna R. Jambeck2015 1, the majority of this waste comes from just fivecountries: China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand
and Vietnam.

Coastalpop.
[millions]

Waste
gen.
rate
[kg/ppd]%
Plastic
waste%
mismanaged
waste

Mismanaged % of total
plastic
Mismanaged
waste
plastic
waste[MMT/year]

Rank

CountryEcon.
classif.

1

China

UMI

262.9

1.10

11

76

8.82

27.7

2

Indonesia

LMI

187.2

0.52

11

83

3.22

10.1

3

Philippines

LMI

83.4

0.5

15

83

1.88

5.9

4

Vietnam

LMI

55.9

0.79

13

88

1.83

5.8

5

Sri Lanka

LMI

14.6

5.1

7

84

1.59

5.0

(Source: Jambeck et al. (2015). “Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean”, Science, Vol. 347, Issue 6223, pp. 768-771)

Community cleanup in Khanh Hoa province in 2006 (Photo: MCD)

Marine debris in NinhThuan province province, Vietnam

Dead fish are drifted into a dam near Lach Giang
Seaport in Thua Thien-Hue Province, April 2016
(Photo: Thanh Quang/Thanh Nien newspaper)

International coastal cleanup (ICC) has been implemented in Vietnam since 2000, under the coordinationof Centre for Marinelife Conservation and Community
Centre for Marinelife Conservation and Community Development (MCD). They perform these activities as partof communication activities in the project s in the coastal
area. The results shows that having more than 10,000
volunteers in 16 years coordinated joined ICC, but has
not done so in their lack of resources and prioritize activities resource management of coastal areas.
“Let’s do it, the world in Vietnam” and “Clean-up Vietnam”
also are global initiatives and recently coordinated in Vietnam and carried out by the volunteers for three recent
years. They have carried out cleaning activities in many
provinces including coastal areas and landfill cleanup
activities at Da Nang and “Thua” and “Thien” Hue provinces. These initiatives have attracted young people toparticipate and now have thousands of participants.

Remarkably, It is clearly seen the impact of marine debris
and its pollution with figure of more than 100 tonnes offish have perished in central Vietnam, state media reported April 2016, as public outrage mounts over a possible
toxic leak into the sea near an industrial zone.

Making Vietnam’s coasts clean — green
initiatives and practices!
1

www.sciencemag.org/content/347/6223/768/suppl/DC1Materials and Methods

Marine Litter News 18

Collecting and managing solid waste: daily routine activities garbage collection and sanitation activities in the
coastal province local government have been coordinat-

Cleanup in Son Tra island, Da Nang city in 2014
(Photo: Letdoit Vietnam)
19

● Changing habits and practices requires a long-term, co-tion and it also user friendly for Vietnamese local people

ordinated education-based program that provides alterna- and use.
tives for waste reception and collection, and also develops● Data collection analysis/monitoring also gives communi-

and enforces legislation.

ties and local authorities information on changing trends● Currently, Vietnam has achieved recovery rates of sol-and ideas for specific customized solutions for waste

id waste is high in urban areas (from over 80% to nearly

avoidance, such as re-cycling and re-using materials.

100%). However, in the suburbs and rural areas, where

Information can also be provided as to whether the pro-more than two thirds of Vietnam’s population are living, grams and activities are being effective. To coordinate thisCleanup in Vung Tau province in 2011 (Photo: Amcham, Intel)

As part of corporate responsibility social (CRS) of global companies such as Cocacola, Amcham, Adidas or tourism
companies, implementing coastal clean-ups has been done in Vung Tau province, Ha Long city. However, the companies do not maintain and implement this activity periodically, regularly, and do not collect information on waste andlack of methods.
Other initiatives of communication activities for mitigating marine debris have also conducted with in conservations
project/programme in Vietnam such as International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN)
with turtle conservations program.

then this figure is still very modest (from 40 to 60%). The

work, we might need call for group of volunteer to do thiscollection network development in these areas, as well as

as part of regular activities.

effective management of the landfill, will certainly contrib-● Partnerships with business are also useful. For exam-

ute significantly reduce the amount of waste discharged

ple, using “piggy back” messages on items that later

into rivers and channels and from there went to the sea. In

become waste, and on company invoices, bills; as welladdition, according to a study “Stemming the Tide: Land- as co-sponsorship of events linked to addressing waste
based strategies for a plastic- free ocean“ by the Ocean

such as coastal clean-ups, and media and educational

Conservancy and McKinsey Center for Business and En- programs associated with local businesses. A good exvironment in 2015, the incineration of plastics to produce

ample of this is “Ha Long Alliance: Business engagement”

energy as a reasonable solution to the Vietnam economy. program with coastal clean-ups initiatives in in Ha Long
Vietnam can consider use of advanced technology en- Bay by IUCN and tourism companies from 2015 until now.
sures incineration is the target emission safety standards
in management of the landfill and towards for Vietnam
plastic-free coastal and sea.
● Coordination with organisations in adjacent areas andFurther Directions for action of green practices
The four objectives of regional plan for marine debrisof East Asian Seas within the framework Coordinating
Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA) has been
identified and orientation for Vietnam in limiting marine
litter and its effects.

Regional directions for actions:
A regional action plan for marine litter had been agreed
among COBSEA’s 10 member states, to improve thequality of marine and coastal environments of the East
Asian Seas and which addresses the issue of marine
litter through regional cooperation and partnerships. Its
objectives are:
1. to prevent and reduce litter in marine and coastal environments of EASs.
2. to mitigate the environmental and socio-economic impacts of litter in marine and coastal environments of theEASs.
3. to raise awareness about marine litter and its impacts,
amongst all relevant stakeholders in the EAS
region, including but not limited to government decision
Marine Litter News 20

makers, the private sector such as fisheries,
shipping, ports and the plastics and packaging industries, and the general public.
4. to monitor and assess the types, sources, distribution, quantities and trends of litter in marine and coastal
environments of the EASs, in order to provide sciencebased information for policy-making and management
planning.
(Source: http://www.greenfacts.org/en/marine-litter/l-3/6-initiatives-about-marine-litter.htm)

countries is also part of the solution, as aquatic-borne
waste may be carried long distances. In each area, community ownership of activities to combat waste is the key,rather than occasional activities by external agencies. And
it also need agents of changes by youth as catalysts. Specific local issues should also be considered. For example,
the comparatively high percentage of female waste collectors, and diseases and illnesses associated with collecting
waste.
● Collection and analysis of data gathered in coastal clean-

Besides need more specific actions for Viet
Nam as follows:●

Most waste result from established patterns of hu-

man behaviour, waste disposal options, and a generallack of awareness of the harmful impacts of public’s unregulated waste. Improvements require understanding

ups on waste types and volume can help inform and develop effective programs to combat pollution: specificcommunity threats and damages can be identified andlinked to the collected waste, and focused intervention
programs can be developed. Should use technology of IT
for data collection such as mobile apps to collect informa-

the sources and practices of waste disposal, identifying
practical alternatives to waste generation and transport,
and implementing solutions, especially market-based
solutions. Studies show, for example, that persons tend
to litter more in an already littered environment.
21

ACTIVITIESMarine Litter News

Vol. 7(1): 22-26, June 2016
Asia Pacific Civil Forum on Marine Litter

How do Chinese NGOs Initiate Public Marine Litter Disposal Advocacy?
Take Coastline Guardian Project as example

Shi An, Research Director,
Shanghai Rendu Ocean NPO Development Centre,
dappledog@163.com

In December 2014, Shenzhen Mangrove Wetlands Conservation Foundation (MCF) and Rendu Ocean launched
the Coastline Guardian project and established a project
team to cope with marine litter issue. In 2014, we haveaccomplished 168 public coastal cleanup activities in
the project, which has been reported 134 times. In particular, we have initiated 9.20 National Coastal Cleanup
Action as well.

groups, like enterprises, social organizations, volunteer
teams, campus associations, outdoor clubs, proprietors’ forum and so forth, in launching coastal cleanup
activities. In 2015, a total number of 168 public coastal
cleanup activities have been held.
Online training support is available to provide volunteers
a better understanding of the hazard of marine litter andguidance of how to organize a coastal cleanup activity.
Materials are supported to provide coastal litter cleanup
Project Profile
kit, including promotional literature, cleanup tools, datacollection cards, banners and so on. Data sharing is to
Coastline Guardian—Coastal Cleanup and Monitoring provide a data analysis report concerning the marine
Project was jointly initiated by MCF and Rendu Ocean garbage data submitted online.
and officially launched in December 2014. The project Coastal cleanup partners’ obligations are that partners
is dedicated to the cohesion of social forces, encourag- should follow the guidance to recruit and train volunteer
ing public participation in coastal cleanup and monitor- teams, complete a coastal cleanup activity and timely
ing; coordinate social groups and research colleges to upload basic data, which is ensured to be correct.
have coastline litter monitoring research; provide support
for coastal litter disposal policy of governmental depart- 2. Scientific Research Monitoring
With 12 professional environmental organizations’ coments at all levels.
operation, the project has set up monitoring sites in 12
coastal cities around the country and conducted monthMajor Content of the Project:
1. Public Coastal Cleanup Section
ly coastline litter monitoring at the end of each month,
By providing a low barrier solution for public to join in involved in marine litter relevant subject research. To
protecting the environment, it can make the partici- ensure the scientific value of the data, the monitoring
pants more aware of the relationship between human adopted strict sampling with standard criteria towards
and ocean or nature through firsthand experience of the the selection of monitoring site’s location and monitoring
whole cleanup activity. In the activity, a unified data card section, as well as the collection, classification, record ofhas been adopted to record the sorts and amounts of litter. 6 times of monitoring of the first phase has beencoastal rubbish, which is collected into the database af- completed. Currently, based on the collected data in the
terwards.
activity, the project team is working with several marine
Meanwhile, the project would support any coastal social protection associations to edit and publish Annual Ma-

rine Litter Data Report, so as to have further studies on
the issue.

coastal cleanup connection platform function, which will
relate enterprises, ocean related NGOs and unattended
shores, encouraging enterprises to lead their staffs to
3. Resource Integration Platform
clean up the coast and claim the shore under the assistant
By integrating all coastline litter disposal related sources of experienced NGOs. The platform will be dedicated toand social forces, we can have an open platform for corpo- connecting the supplies and demands by coordinating therations in coastal litter disposal area. Public financing plat- social resources, raising enterprises’ awareness of marine
form would help fund coastal litter cleanup and monitoring environment, supporting the development of NGOs, andactivities. Information collection and sharing platform for finally achieving monitoring and disposal of coastal litter.
coastal litter is to build a convenient subject websites forcollecting and sharing relevant information obtained from Public coastal cleanup statistics
cleanup activities from place to place. Learning platform
on marine environmental knowledge is to disseminate ma- The public cleanup activities of Coastline Guardian projectrine environment information through all online and offline would support all willing coastal social groups (enterprises,social groups, volunteers teams, campus associations,works.
In 2015, the main website of the project www.ccmc.org. outdoor clubs and proprietor forum and so on) in launchcn has been online, realizing several functions including ing coastal cleanup activities. In 2015, 165 public coastal
uploading coastal cleanup data online, download cleanup cleanup activities were been organized, reaching domeskit, release an activity information and so forth. In 2016, a tic and even overseas areas.
brand new edition of the website will be launched, adding

Coastal Cleanup Activities held in 2015 (number of activities in each month)

Coastal Cleanup Activities held in 2015 (number of activities in each month)
Marine Litter News 22

23

Regional Coastal Cleanup Activity Statistic Graph in 2015

Number of Coastal Cleanup Activities in the region
Place
DalianShishiShenzhen
ShanghaiNingboTianjin
XiamenLianyungang
Qinhuangdao
NingdeHaikouOthersSession
44
35
23
20
6
4
4
4
3
3
3
16

Place
Weifang
Sanya
Qingdao
Guangzhou
Zhuhai
Zhoushan
YantaiWenling
TaiwanJapan
FuzhouBeihai

Session
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1

Photos of Coastal Cleanup Activities in China

While the activity went on, 8 organizations used data cards to record the classifications of thegarbage, which will helps us to analyze the component of coastal litter so as to find its source,
therefore eliminate the marine litter for good.

9.20 National Coastal Cleanup Activity
The national coastal cleanup day falls on the third
Saturday in every September. On this day, thousands of volunteers around the globe walk onto
the shore, picking up every piece of garbage, trying to raise awareness of marine litter by cleaning
up the shore through personal endeavors.
The year of 2015 comes at the 30th international
coastal cleanup day. 18 cities and 31 NGOs in the
country initiated the first united movement - 920
national coastal cleanup activity. On September
19th and 20th, 7411 volunteers in the country took
part in the activity, picking up 30 tons of garbage
in total, cleaning up coastline of 40 miles.

Source classification and proportions of the litter according to Ocean Conservancy’s data card

Poster of 920 Coastal Cleanup Activity in China
Marine Litter News 24

25

ACTIVITIESMarine Litter News

Vol. 7(1): 27, June 2016
Asia Pacific Civil Forum on Marine Litter

Grocery Bags (Plastic)
Other Plastic/Foam Packaging
Glass Pieces
Polystyrene Foam

Hong Kong Cleanup Awards 2015
15th anniversary Hong Kong Cleanup Awards Ceremony andEcozine Winter Cocktail

Beverage Bottles (Plastic)
Toilet Paper
Bottle Caps (Plastic)
Food Wrappers (candy,chips,etc.)
Cigarette Butts

Lisa Christensen, Founder of Ecovision,
lisa@ecovisionasia.com

Foam Pieces
0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

Congratulations to all the winning teams and thanks to all
the amazing, hardworking and caring citizens who havejoined cleanups this year!

The worst Top 10 litter items

The power of the individual is limited but necessary to change the society in the first place. Every piece of garbage collected is one step closer to making the ocean clean again. If all the garbage were to remain where they are, it may takedozens or even hundreds of years for the garbage to degrade. The meaning of the activity does not dwell on that particular day. Instead it takes days of action to make our oceans truly clean by disposing of every piece of garbage properly,
reducing the usage of plastic goods, taking part in relevant activities around the shores and rivers. We hold the wish thatin the coming year, our connections can be made more intimate and communications more frequent. Lastly, we hope
the whole public will once again be able to witness our united efforts!
15th anniversary Hong Kong Cleanup Awards Ceremony

Participant Organizations:

Zhuhai Bird Watching Association
Sanya Blue Ocean Protection Association

Mangrove Conservation Foundation(MCF)

Beihai Citizen Volunteer Association

Shenzhen Blue Ocean Conservation Association(BOCA)

Green Fujian

Shanghai Rendu Ocean NPO Development Center

Beilun Volunteer Association

Tianjin Ecology City Friends Of Green China Promotion

Hainan Shellfish and Coral Conservation

Coastal Cleanup Volunteer Group

Canton Watch and Caring Conservation

Zhejiang Green Technology Culture Promotion

YingBlog NGO

Wenling Youth Volunteer Association

Canton Shande Educational Promotion Association

Dalian Environmental Volunteer Association

Friends of Nature Guangzhou Team

QingHuangdao Entrepreneur Association

Lingyang Sports

Weifang Binghai Volunteer Team

Haishang Benevolence NGO Logistic TeamThe Society of Canton Nature Conservation

Sanya National Coral Reef Nature Reserve Management

Fujian Shishi Xiangzhi Beauty Coast Volunteer Associa- XiaoXiaoOu Nature Popula Science Promotion Center
tion

ShenZhen Spring Environmental Protection Volunteer

Tsingtao Junhe NGO Promotion Center

Association

Tsingtao Agriculture University Blue Pioneer Association

Panjin Covert Protection Association* Great thanks and best wishes to the paper’s volunteer translators: Jiao Yang, Yajing Wang!
Marine Litter News 26

We were very honoured to have HKSAR Permanent Secretary for the Environment Ms. Anissa Wong, Executive
Director of the HK Program for The Nature Conservancy
Ms. Louisa Ho, Chris Antonelli from Nomura Group, andCelebrity Ambassadors Jocelyn & Tony Sandstrom, andAnkie Beilke who joined us at the Press Conference toshow their support!

Attending guests got to enjoy delicious canapés sponThe 2015 Hong Kong Cleanup concluded this month, sored by Grassroots Pantry, wine by La Cabane, fabulous
marking the most successful initiative in its 15-year history! music by DJ Nat King Soul, and a photobooth from FoThanks to all the guests, sponsors and partners who sup- topop to take fun images. Everyone had a chance to WIN
ported our 15th anniversary Hong Kong Cleanup Awards lucky draw prizes by submitting their business cards. It
Ceremony and Ecozine Winter Cocktail held December was a great opportunity for everyone to meet other mem17th, at KEE Club in Central. It was an absolutely splendid bers of the Hong Kong Cleanup and Ecozine communinight!
ties.
In celebration of our 15th anniversary and the outstanding
success of the 2015 Hong Kong Cleanup Challenge, thisparty was our chance to thank all our partners, sponsors,
supporters and volunteers for their amazing efforts, aswell as awarding the winning teams and announcing thisyear’s results!

This Winter Cocktail also marked the release of Ecozine’s
latest issue, featuring actress, model Maggie Q on thefront cover. Thus all guests ended the night with a FREE
copy of Ecozine’s brand-new winter issue, accompanied
by a Nature Amazes 2016 Calendar from The Nature
Conservancy.

For this year’s Cleanup Challenge, we would also like to If you would like to keep tabs on the latest news and event
say a big THANK YOU to the 75,623 participants who updates, then we welcome you to ‘Like’ us on Facebook
cleaned up 5,683,891 pieces of trash weighing 4,616,067 or subscribe to our weekly newsletter to stay in the loop!
kg from 2,447km of Hong Kong’s coastlines, country You can also get your hands on a copy of our latest quarparks and urban environments! Hong Kong Cleanup terly magazine at our retailers or via Ecozine.com.
would not be such a success without all your support!
27

ACTIVITIESMarine Litter News

Vol. 7(1): 28-29, June 2016
Asia Pacific Civil Forum on Marine Litter

Dumping(1%)
Smoking(9%)

Medical & Hygiene(0%)

Others(4%)

From the change of thinking and doing for reducing marine debris problem
Ocean & Waterway(17%)- Results of 2015 International Coastal Cleanups andbest practices of marine debris awareness program in Korea 2015 한국 국제연안정화 해양쓰레기 인식증진 사례집

Daily consumption & Recreation(69%)

II. 2015년 한국 국제연안정화의 날 행사 개요

Jongmyoung Lee
ICC
country
coordinatorin Korea,
2015년 전국 71개 지역에서 국제연안정화 행사가 열렸습니다. 행사에 참가한 시민은 모두 5천여 명이고,
40여킬로미터의 해안에서시민들이줍고 기록한
쓰레기는
무려 20만 개에이릅니
Chief
Scientistof Korea
MarineLitterInstitute,
OSEAN
다. 지난 15년간 국제연안정화 행사가 열린 곳은 모두 761곳, 행사 참가자는 연인원 7만여 명,
sachfem@nate.com
1. 2015년 한국 국제연안정화이들이 줍고 기록한 쓰레기는 1백만 개를 넘겼습니다.

한국 국제연안정화 연도별 실적
연도
Year

행사
수(곳)
Site 장소
(number)참가자(number)
수(명)기록한
수(개) 청소한
해안길이(km)
PeopleDebris쓰레기(number)
Cleaned
beach
(km)

2001

23

1,750

11,187

23.1

2002

22

1,600

8,589

17.0

2003

26

1,200

14,677

14.7

2004

28

1,916

22,004

21.6

2005

40

3,224

78,270

44.3

2006

43

3,108

63,912

34.1

2007

32

4,520

51,382

27.4

2008

53

6,095

75,899

41.8

2009

61

5,007

74,671

37.0

2010

74

7,875

69,208

41.4

2011

64

6,237

75,599

40.6

2012

105

9,158

88,796

31.5

2013

58

8,760

107,444

45.9

2014

63

3,939

99,034

47.4

2015

71

5,271

204,013

43.8

합계

763

69,6601,044,685

511.6

7

Single use plastic wrap was the most abundant item, accounting for 9.7%. Plastic lid and plastic beverage bottle
followed, making up 8.3% and 7.9% respectively. The
most abundant 10 items occupied 65% of total numbers, implying that if we can successfully reduce theseA report on the results of the 2015 International Coastal 10 items, we could reduce two third of marine debris at
Cleanups (ICC) and on the best practices of marine de- Korean beaches.
bris awareness program in Korea has been published. In
2015, over 5,000 people participated in ICC at seventyone sites, picking up and recording on the data sheetover 200,000 debris items. It was the 15th of such eventin the country. Seventy thousand volunteers at 761 sites
have recorded over one million marine debris for 15 years.

Marine Litter News 28

The data we analyzed shows that daily consumption and beach recreation activities
were responsible for 69% of the beach debris numbers. Ocean and waterway-related
items were 17%, which is a little bit lower than the case in past years but still much higher
than the 5% of international results.

This report includes the best practices implemented in 2015. For example, the main
event where about 1,000 people, including
the minister of Ministry of Ocean and Fisheries (MOF), participated was held in SongDo beach, Pusan, SE Korea. Eight students
and teachers of an alternative school joined
the ICC during one-month trekking. Why
don’t you plan own ICC this year, referringto the good examples?

* This report was published with the support of MOF, Korea Marine Environment Corporation,
and Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem.

29

ACTIVITIESMarine Litter News

Vol. 7(1): 30, June 2016
Asia Pacific Civil Forum on Marine Litter

What is Asia Pacific Civil Forum on Marine Litter?
Asia Pacific Civil Forum on Marine Litter is a network
established in 2009, made of NGO groups dedicatedto protection of marine environment from marine litter in
Asia Pacific countries.

New government project to mitigate EPS buoys debris
from aquaculture grounds in Korea

Network member groups are:Japan Environmental Action Network (JEAN)Our Sea of East Asia Network (OSEAN)
Taiwan Ocean Cleanup Alliance (TOCA)
Shanghai Rendu Ocean NPO Development Center
Kewkradong Bangladesh
ICC Philippines
Tangaroa Blue Foundation
Ocean Conservancy

Sunwook Hong, President of OSEAN,
oceanook@gmail.com

Good news for people who have concerns about fragmentation and its impact of Expanded Polystyrene (EPS)
buoy debris on aquaculture in Koreans seas. A Korean government project, ‘Building integrated management system of used EPS buoys for fisheries’ has beenlaunched in May and its kick-off meeting was held in the
Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF) on May 10th .
The objective has been to establish policy foundation to
introduce ‘Integrated Lifecycle Management System of
EPS buoys’. Strategies to achieve the objective are to
design information management system of EPS buoyusages, to develop resources and implement fishermen education, to develop efficient recovery system ofused buoys from fishing and aquaculture grounds andconduct its pilot program, and to support equipments totransform recyclable ingots from used buoys. MOF willcontinue the project until 2019 to reach up to 80% of
recycling rate from 28% of the present, investing USD 3.7
million in total. Korea Maritime Institute, Our Sea of East
Asia Network, and Woowon Soft, Inc. have been delivering the project this year.
EPS buoy debris has been regarded as one of the major
polluting items at the coastal beaches. National marine
debris monitoring program since 2008 has shown EPS

buoy debris to be the most abundant item for macrodebris (25mm <). The researches by Korea Institute of
Ocean Technology and Science provide that density of
microplastc debris (1mm ~ 5mm) reached the highest
level in comparison with the previous researches in theworld and the reason is due to fragmentation of EPS
buoys.
This project is for prevention of EPS buoy’s discard,abandoning, and unintentional loss. We believe prevention at source is the best solution.

Related news:● Initiation of research project on environmental risk assessment of microplastics in Koreanwaters (Marine Litter News 6(2), Dec. 2015)● The Second Basic Plan to Manage Marine Debris of Korea (2014~2018) launched(Marine Litter News 5(1), May 2014)● Styrofoam debris issues broadcasted on Korean Television (Marine Litter News 4(2), Dec. 2013)● Workshop on debris from EPS floats held (Marine Litter News 3(2), Dec. 2012)

Marine Litter News 30

To the readers,mit - Shimonoseki•Nagato Meeting’ on October 16-18,
2009, in Shimonoseki, Japan. OSEAN suggested in the
East Asian countries are connected to each other en- meeting to start an ‘East Asian Civil Forum on Marine
vironmentally, geographically, historically, or culturally Litter’ through which relevant NGOs and organizations
through shared regional seas. The East Asian region is in the East Asia could share experiences and informaone of the most dynamic economic centers with some of tion and work together on the marine debris problems.
the busiest shipping lanes in the world. With the spread OSEAN and JEAN have reached a consensus to launchof mass production and consumption over the last dec- the forum and publish biannual newsletters. So we haveades came the huge increase in solid waste generation. launched the East Asian Civil Forum on Marine Litter
There are, however, not enough waste treatment facilities and we are delivering marine debris news from member
and management measures, which makes the region countries via e-mail to people who are concerned withthis problem on local, national, and regional levels. In latevulnerable to marine debris pollution.
2012 now, we have four members above. We hope that
Entering the seas in large amounts, floating debris has the forum could provide a venue for all of us to share our
become a source of concerns and conflicts among vision, experiences, and creative actions.
some neighboring countries. This transboundary environmental problem requires concerted efforts of all This is the first effort to link the East Asian people bethe relevant stakeholders beyond sectoral and political yond geographical and language barriers to a common
boundaries. In this regard, OSEAN (Our Sea of East goal of protecting our seas from marine debris pollution.
Asia Network) and JEAN (Japan Environmental Action NGOs and organizations that have interests and passion
Network), the marine debris NGOs in Korea and Japan, to make our seas clean and healthy are more than welhave shared a vision in which people in the East Asia come to join us. For more information, you can contact
could act together as one community in protecting our us at loveseakorea@empas.com. Please let us know if
precious marine ecosystems. We believe that NGOs in you have any problem in receiving the newsletter. Thesethe East Asian countries have an important role in shar- articles are also available online at http://cafe.naver.com/
ing experiences and acting together to address the ma- osean.
rine debris issue in the region from the bottom up.
Secretariat,
Sunwook Hong (OSEAN) and Kojima Azusa (JEAN)
The city governments of Shimonoseki and Nagato,
and JEAN co-organized ‘2009 Marine Litter Sum-

31

Asia Pacific CIvil Forum on Marine LitterJapan Environmental Action Network (JEAN)
202, Mansion SOPHIA,
3-4-12, Minami-Cho, Kokubunji-Shi, Tokyo, Japan
URL http://www.jean.jp
E-mail Cleanup@jean.jp
TEL +81-42-322-0712
FAX +81-42-324-8252

Our Sea of East Asia Network (OSEAN)

717, Leadersvill, 23-96, Jukrim 4ro, Tongyeong, Gyeongnam, 650-826, South Korea
URL http://cafe.naver.com/osean E-mail loveseakorea@empas.com
TEL +82-55-649-5224
FAX +82-303-0001-4478

Taiwan Ocean Cleanup Alliance (TOCA)

97057, No.87, Fuyang Rd., Hualien City, Hualien County, Taiwan
URL http:// www.icctaiwan.org.tw E-mail kuroshio@seed.net.tw
TEL +886-3-857-8148
FAX +886-3-857-8948

Shanghai Rendu Ocean NPO Development Center

Room 222, Building C, No.633, Eshan Rd, Shanghai, China, Zip Code 200127
URL http://www.jintan.org E-mail liuyonglun@163.com
TEL +86-21-61762119

Kewkradong Bangladesh

C4 Arambag Eastern Housing, Mirpur-7, Dhaka 1216, Bangladesh
Muntasir@gmail.com
TEL +88 01911 310 275

ICC Philippines

Units 8 & 9, CCP Bay Terminal, CCP Complex, Roxas Blvd., Pasay City, Philippines,
URL http://sites.google.com/site/iccphilippines/home
Blog: coastalcleanupphilippines@blogspot.com
Email: iccphilippines@gmail.com
Mobile No. : +63917.372.87.02

Tangaroa Blue Foundation

PO Box 757, Port Douglas, QLD 4877, Australia
Web: www.tangaroablue.org Email: info@tangaroablue.org
TEL+61.410166684

Ocean Conservancy

1300 19th Street, NW, 8th Floor, Washington, DC 20036, USA
Web: ww.oceanconservancy.org Email: cleanup@oceanconservancy.org
TEL +1-202-429-5609※ We truly thank Young Jun Andrew Kim for English proofreading of this issue.