The 2017 Joint NOWPAP-TEMM (The Tripartite Environment Ministers Meeting among Japan, China and Korea) Workshop on Marine Litter Management and the 2017 NOWPAP International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) Campaign were held in Toyama, Japan on 19 and 20 September with presentations on marine litter management and microplastics by the four NOWPAP Member States. Presentations on local and global-level initiatives to address the marine litter problem were also made by a Japanese NGO and NOWPAP partners including UN Environment International Environmental Technology Centre (IETC), FAO and YSLME.
The Republic of Korea offered a particularly interesting policy initiative on marine litter management that is based on the fact that over 20 per cent of marine litter in the country comes from sea-based sources and that the main contributor to marine litter volume was expanded polystyrene (EPS). The Republic of Korea’s 2nd National Marine Debris Management Plan accordingly focused on gradually phasing out EPS buoys, starting from education and distribution of alternatives to a complete ban of EPS buoys.
On the second day of the event, workshop participants, together with local residents and university students, collected more than 50 bags of marine litter on the Rokudoji Coast in Imizu City, Toyama. The beach became much cleaner in just one hour, proving that even little local action can make a difference.
