China announces 3-year plan to combat ocean litter, clean up coastal areas

SINGAPORE: China has embarked on a three-year plan to combat ocean litter and clean up 65 coastal areas nationwide, in its latest push to nip the issue in the bud.

The Ministry of Ecology and Environment and three other government bodies announced the initiative last Friday (Jun 7). The campaign aims to substantially clear the garbage in the areas by 2025, with ongoing, regular clean-ups established by 2027, Chinese news site Sixth Tone reported. 

According to the ministry, the plan draws on the results of previous clean-up operations in Fujian and other places, as well as other 11 key bay areas such as Jiaozhou Bay in Qingdao. 

While noting that China’s marine ecological environment has improved in recent years, a ministry spokesperson said marine litter remains a problem in some coastal regions.

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It has affected residents’ activities in the sea and there is a need to “swiftly implement” measures to tackle the issue, the spokesperson added.

According to Sixth Tone, local governments would be tasked with implementing a comprehensive system to “monitor, intercept, collect, salvage, transport, and process waste”.

Aside from reducing and cleaning up litter in the various coastal areas, the three-year campaign also calls for measures to be bolstered to prevent inland waste from reaching the sea.

China has already tightened legal curbs on marine pollution. A revised law that took effect at the start of the year bans industrial or urban sewage outfalls in protected areas - including natural protected areas, important fishing waters and beaches. 

The law also bars the dumping and disposal of solid waste along shores, and measures must be taken to prevent solid waste from entering the sea. 

CONSTANT COASTAL CLEAN-UPS

Last year, a large amount of marine litter accumulated on a beach in Guangdong province’s Shantou city, Chinese media outlet Jimu News reported. 

Local authorities explained that due to the winter monsoon, marine litter floating in the sea nearby drifted to the coast of Laiwu Peninsula, thus making it difficult to clear. In response, the local authorities also ensured that the coast will be cleaned at low tide every day. 

Similarly in Xiamen, the city clears about 3,000 metric tons of ocean litter annually, state broadcaster CGTN reported. A professional cleaning team patrols the port city’s 226km-long coastline daily.

According to the CGTN report, about 50 cleaning boats are sent out every day to cover the entire coast, fishing 3 to 5 tonnes of garbage out of the water each time.

Shenzhen in 2021 became the first city in China to regularly clean up floating ocean garbage in its coastal areas, Sixth Tone reported. 

Plastic waste is a growing problem. A BBC report in 2023 said that more than 171 trillion pieces of plastic are now estimated to be floating in the world's oceans, up from around 16 trillion in 2005.

A 2023 report by China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment analysing the country's coastal areas showed that there are 3,719 pieces of garbage floating on the surface for every square kilometre of water.

The report stated that plastic accounted for the largest type of marine garbage found, at 89.8 per cent. These include foam, bags, bottles, packaging and fishing nets.

Plastic also made up the largest type of garbage found on beaches in China, at 79.1 per cent. For every square kilometre of beach surface, 46,311 pieces of garbage were found.