Ministry of Ecology and Environment: Strengthen the treatment of marine garbage at the source, and jointly build and share clean beaches with blue seas and blue skies

China Economic Network Beijing, August 26 reporter learned from today's regular press conference held by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment in August that in the next step, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment will work with relevant departments to further improve the system and mechanism for the prevention and control of marine garbage, guide and urge coastal areas to do a good job in the control of the source of plastic waste pollution and the prevention and control of entering the sea, strengthen the cleaning and rectification and supervision and management of marine garbage, guide the general public to actively participate in plastic restriction, plastic reduction, and plastic control actions, and jointly build and share the beautiful scene of "blue sea, blue sky, clean beach".

Photo by Su Lan, a reporter from China Economic Network.

The prevention and control of foreign garbage pollution is a common concern of the public and a common challenge faced by coastal countries around the world. The UN Environment programme reports that about 80 per cent of marine litter originates on land and about 20 per cent from human activities at sea. Once the garbage on land, especially plastic garbage, enters the ocean, it remains in the marine environment for a long time and is difficult to manage.

Zhang Zhifeng, deputy director of the Department of Marine Ecology and Environment of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, introduced at the meeting that the Ministry of Ecology and Environment attaches great importance to the prevention and control of marine garbage pollution, and in recent years, together with relevant departments, the following four aspects of work have been mainly promoted:

The first is to strictly control the source of plastic production, sales and use. In January last year, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment jointly issued the "Opinions on Further Strengthening the Governance of Plastic Pollution", established a cross-departmental special working mechanism for plastic pollution control, restricted and prohibited the production, sale and use of some plastic products in accordance with the law, standardized the recycling of plastic waste, and promoted the establishment, improvement and implementation of the management system for the whole life cycle of plastic products. The joint force of source prevention and control of plastic pollution in various industries has gradually formed, and the source reduction of marine garbage has been continuously strengthened.

The second is to incorporate marine litter control into the overall deployment of special actions for pollution prevention and control. The Ministry of Ecology and Environment, together with relevant departments, organizes the implementation of the "Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Water Pollution" and the "Action Plan for the Battle of Agricultural and Rural Pollution Control", etc., to promote the treatment of domestic garbage in rural areas and river banks in the coastal areas, and prevent plastic waste from entering the marine environment; in the battle of comprehensive management of the Bohai Sea, vigorously promote the control of marine garbage pollution in the Bohai Sea, and carry out the normalization of garbage prevention and control in rivers entering the sea and coastal waters. At the same time, the "14th Five-Year Plan for National Marine Ecological Environmental Protection" led by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment also included "promoting the treatment of marine plastic waste" into the key tasks of the "14th Five-Year Plan".

The third is to promote the prevention and control of marine litter in coastal local governments. Guide coastal areas to establish and improve the "maritime sanitation" working mechanism, and implement the prevention and control of marine garbage entering the sea and special rectification. At present, the three provinces and one city around the Bohai Sea, Fujian Province and Hainan Province have established a normalized working mechanism of "marine sanitation", vigorously strengthened infrastructure construction, and promoted the timely cleaning and normalization of marine garbage supervision.

The fourth is to strengthen publicity and education on the prevention and control of marine litter and public participation. Every year, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, through the "June 5th Environment Day", "June 8 World Oceans Day" and other series of activities, together with the news media and public welfare organizations, strengthens the publicity and education on clean oceans and actively promotes public participation in clean beach action. With the improvement of public awareness of marine environmental protection, people's initiative to support and participate in marine environmental protection is getting stronger and stronger. After the typhoon every year, coastal environmental protection organizations and residents have become an important force in cleaning up beach garbage. With the joint efforts of the government, enterprises and public institutions, environmental protection organizations and the public, the social synergy of marine litter prevention and control has initially taken shape and played an increasingly important role.

This article originated from China Economic Network