SUSTAINABILITY

SeasonalWindTsuruga

For many years, local
residents have beenworking to preserve
their beaches.

“Kehi no Matsubara” is a scenic spot of Japan. The contrast
between the vast sandy beach of about 400,000 m2 and thepine forest of 17,000 trees has long been loved by the people.

COMING TOGETHER IN

THE FIGHT
AGAINSTOCEAN WASTE

Visit Tsuruga, where the local community
and the municipal government havecollaborated in launching bold initiatives toclean their beloved sea and beaches.

“Mizushima” is an uninhabited island located at the tip of Tsuruga Peninsula. Thissmall island, about 500 m in length, is a popular sightseeing spot with clear, blue,
shallow waters and white sandy beaches.

The Tsuruga Bay in Fukui Prefecture faces theSea of Japan to the north, with mountains in every
other direction. Located deep in the bay, the Portof Tsuruga has thrived since long ago as a gateway
to mainland Asia. It is also known as a “port ofhumanity” for accepting Polish orphans after theRussian Revolution and Jewish refugees during
World War II. In addition, the bayside is home to thebeachside pine groves at “Kehi no Matsubara,” whose
majestic scenery has a longstanding reputation. The
sandy shore here is a popular swimming spot insummer. Members of the local community have a
special place in their hearts for the quaint beaches
running along the bay.

In recent years, however, this beautiful bay has
been plagued by marine debris. Because of the way
the deep bay brings in water from the Sea of Japan, it
produces high waves in winter that carry an especiallylarge amount of trash. The amount of trash washingup onto the bay’s east side, in particular, has grown at
an alarming rate. Meanwhile, much of the dramaticincrease in plastic waste over the past decade has beenoriginating from other nearby countries. In the fiscalyear ending in March 2021, over 400 m3 of plastic
trash will be processed in the city of Tsuruga.
At the G20 Summit in June 2019, countries
agreed to swiftly take action both nationallyand internationally, in partnership with relevant
stakeholders, to prevent and significantly reduce
discharges of plastic litter and microplastics to theoceans. In addition, the “Osaka Blue Ocean Vision,”
which aims to reduce additional pollution by marine
plastic litter to zero by 2050, was shared. There is arecognition now that the problem of ocean waste is a
global issue that transcends borders.
Despite the G20 agreement, Tsuruga’s residents
are in dire straits. Along the bay, which once had athriving salt production industry as part of its history,
the people have a long-held custom of keeping thebeaches clean, and for many years, local volunteers
and fishermen have joined cleanup efforts. Due to theceaseless stream of trash that the currents cast onto
the shore in winter, the major cleanups happen inearly summer, when the beaches open to swimmers.
Elementary school students also pitch in, but withthe birthrate falling and the population aging, there
is a limit to what the community can do. At present,
Tsuruga municipal government has stepped in to
help organize a framework for certain designatedbusinesses to routinely clean up the beaches. Since
1992, the city has also participated in the Clean
Up Fukui Drive, a prefecture-wide environmental
beautification project. These two efforts exemplify
how the government and the business community aretaking on the never-ending fight against marine litter
together.
“We cannot stop the trash from coming ashore. Just
like reducing CO2 emissions, I believe that marine
debris is a problem that countries and people aroundthe world need to tackle together.” So said a resident
who has dealt with the waste for many years in an area
where an especially large amount of trash washes up.
The community is doing what it can, holding various
activities to offer the children, who are tomorrow’sleaders, opportunities to interact with the sea. Theirhope is that by having a closer connection to thisbeach, those children will develop a love for beautiful
Tsuruga Bay and a desire to preserve it. A large quantity of plastic
waste with labels in otherlanguages washes ashore in
Tsuruga Bay, where theenvironment is influenced by
the Sea of Japan’s currents.