Reducing ocean plastic pollution: Locally led initiatives catalyzing change in South and Southeast Asia

Abstract

Reducing land-based plastic leakage into the ocean is a complex interdisciplinary issue that includes technical, social and policy components and involves a multitude of stakeholders across government, private, and non-governmental organizations. ASEAN national governments have made significant political commitments dedicated to improving SWM and recycling markets that ultimately strive to mitigate ocean bound plastic waste [1,2]. In support and alignment with ASEAN countries’ commitments to reducing ocean plastic pollution by improving existing waste management strategies and implementing innovative reduction programs, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded the Municipal Waste Recycling Program (MWRP) to help local institutions leverage their limited resources for lasting impact and systematic change [3]. In this study, 27 MWRP projects funded in Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam are examined for raising awareness, catalyzing behavior change, strengthening the capacity of local governments to create and implement policy and regulations, improving communication across stakeholders, and empowering marginalized groups such as women and informal waste collectors. This study is a quantitative and descriptive analysis that compiles data from the MWRP to understand successes, limitations, and challenges of these collaborative projects, and then identifies overall lessons learned in implementing small initiatives to reduce ocean plastic pollution. The project activities resulted in over 7.3 million people engaged and 2737 jobs created the majority for women and women in typically male-dominated jobs. Fifty-six new policies, regulations, or enforcement measures were passed and 82 new public with private partnership agreements were signed. A total of 11,087 metric tons of plastic was diverted from the environment and kept out of the ocean.