Denpasar, 3-4 May 2023: Harmonising the collection of data, policy coherence, and multisectoral financing to tackle marine plastic pollution is essential to facilitate an efficient decision-making process, according to experts attending the third Regional Ocean Policy Dialogue in Bali.
The conference was held by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), in collaboration with Indonesia's Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment, the Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The aim was to share experiences and enhance regional cooperation in reducing plastic leakage into the marine environment.
‘Countries in this region have demonstrated to the world a model of leadership in coordinating actions to tackle marine plastic debris. And still, we need to put our utmost concern into addressing this issue in an integrated manner. Through this dialogue, the OECD will continue promoting a sustainable ocean economy and support advancements in combating plastic pollution by preparing the release of the Regional Plastics Outlook on Southeast Asia,' said Ms Mathilde Mesnard, Deputy Director of the OECD Environment Directorate in her opening remarks.
One of the highlights of the dialogue was the need for data for evidence-based policymaking. Mr Florian Mante, a statistician at the Environmental Performance and Information Division, OECD Environment Directorate, said there are still challenges in both measuring data and ensuring its quality.
For instance, the measurement scope and estimation methods for waste data continue to differ, and occasionally change over time in accordance with national waste management laws and practices. There also remains no consensus on the types of waste and materials, as well as how waste treatment and disposal should be covered and measured.
‘There are also particular issues which arise of waste that is not monitored through official channels, including waste generated through illegal dumping and ones picked by the informal sector,’ said Mr Mante.
Also read: Building Data on the Plastics Value Chain in ASEAN Member States
Mr Rofi Alhanif, Director of Waste Management at Indonesia's Coordinating Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Investment, said waste data in Indonesia is collected by more than 500 municipal authorities, but there remains a lack of standardisation which results in contrasting gaps, especially between data collected in the big and small cities.
‘This is why we think a global monitoring system can be the solution for data standardisation,' he said.
Ms Wassana Jangprajak, Environmentalist, Senior Professional Level at the Pollution Control Department, Thailand's Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, highlighted the lack of data on the whole life cycle of plastic in Thailand. Downstream, runoff plastic waste leaking into the sea is not accurately accounted for, while upstream obtaining primary data on plastic production from producers and the private sector remains a major challenge.
Officials from ASEAN countries pointed to the need for a national data centre to organise, store, and disseminate collected waste data. They also argued that by changing the way we interpret and represent waste data, the data can become an economic resource for a country’s development.
Good Practices to Overcome Challenges
Ms Josephine Tan Mei Ling, General Manager of Penang Green Council, said the challenge in implementing measures to reduce plastic pollution at a local level, such as the reduction of single-use-plastics and waste segregation, is to encourage people to not just be aware of the problem, but to also take concrete action.
‘Community engagements that create a sense of ownership over the programme are a good practice, which can induce a sustainable implementation,’ said Ms Tan.
One example is the Trash-Free Penang programme, a community reward system which encourages waste segregation at source. By placing recycling stations as a hub for local communities, the system not only allows people to drop off their recyclables, but also to meet and share ideas and experiences for a better environment.
Mr Michikazu Kojima, ERIA's Senior Advisor to the President on Environmental Issues, presented the case of the Moana Taka Partnership, carried out by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) to cut the cost of transporting post-consumer recyclables to recycling facilities, which are mostly located in big cities.
‘The partnership enables the free transport of recyclable waste using empty shipping containers from islands in the Pacific to other countries with proper recycling facilities,’ he said.
He also emphasised the importance of a harmonised design for recycling at the regional level to standardise the plastic recycling trade between ASEAN countries.
Mobilising Private and Public Financing for Plastic Waste Reduction
Data collection and countermeasures require financial support, which can be provided by both the public and private sectors, said Ms Angela Noronha, Director for Growth in Asia for financing company SecondMuse.
Despite being the major players of waste collection and aggregation in the region, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) remain untapped in investment plans, she said. Providing flexible funding to these SMEs can bridge the financing gap and create leverage to drive solutions against plastic pollution.
‘The Incubation Network – a three-year programme that we initiated with Circulate Capital in 2019 – has disbursed a total of US$2.9 million to 100 organisations so they can improve waste management and recycling systems across South and Southeast Asia. From this, we have successfully diverted more than 148,000 metric tons of plastic waste,’ she said.
Mr Shardul Agrawala, Head of the Environment and Economy Integration Division, OECD Environment Directorate, said public sector-led development finance in tackling plastic pollution has been consistently growing since 2015. Most of the funding comes in the form of debt instruments, with official development assistance (ODA) being the largest source of development finance.
‘However, we still need to align the financial support flow with plastic leakage hotspots. For instance, in 2018-2020 only 1.5% of development finance was allocated to India, which accounts for 11% of plastic leakage. On the other hand, 19.4% of finance was allocated to Europe, which only accounts for 2.2% of plastic leakage,’ he said.
Research Associate
Denpasar, 3-4 May 2023: Harmonising the collection of data, policy coherence, and multisectoral financing to tackle marine plastic pollution is essential to facilitate an efficient decision-making process, according to experts attending the third Regional Ocean Policy Dialogue in Bali.
The conference was held by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), in collaboration with Indonesia's Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment, the Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The aim was to share experiences and enhance regional cooperation in reducing plastic leakage into the marine environment.
‘Countries in this region have demonstrated to the world a model of leadership in coordinating actions to tackle marine plastic debris. And still, we need to put our utmost concern into addressing this issue in an integrated manner. Through this dialogue, the OECD will continue promoting a sustainable ocean economy and support advancements in combating plastic pollution by preparing the release of the Regional Plastics Outlook on Southeast Asia,' said Ms Mathilde Mesnard, Deputy Director of the OECD Environment Directorate in her opening remarks.
One of the highlights of the dialogue was the need for data for evidence-based policymaking. Mr Florian Mante, a statistician at the Environmental Performance and Information Division, OECD Environment Directorate, said there are still challenges in both measuring data and ensuring its quality.
For instance, the measurement scope and estimation methods for waste data continue to differ, and occasionally change over time in accordance with national waste management laws and practices. There also remains no consensus on the types of waste and materials, as well as how waste treatment and disposal should be covered and measured.
‘There are also particular issues which arise of waste that is not monitored through official channels, including waste generated through illegal dumping and ones picked by the informal sector,’ said Mr Mante.
Also read: Building Data on the Plastics Value Chain in ASEAN Member States
Mr Rofi Alhanif, Director of Waste Management at Indonesia's Coordinating Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Investment, said waste data in Indonesia is collected by more than 500 municipal authorities, but there remains a lack of standardisation which results in contrasting gaps, especially between data collected in the big and small cities.
‘This is why we think a global monitoring system can be the solution for data standardisation,' he said.
Ms Wassana Jangprajak, Environmentalist, Senior Professional Level at the Pollution Control Department, Thailand's Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, highlighted the lack of data on the whole life cycle of plastic in Thailand. Downstream, runoff plastic waste leaking into the sea is not accurately accounted for, while upstream obtaining primary data on plastic production from producers and the private sector remains a major challenge.
Officials from ASEAN countries pointed to the need for a national data centre to organise, store, and disseminate collected waste data. They also argued that by changing the way we interpret and represent waste data, the data can become an economic resource for a country’s development.
Good Practices to Overcome Challenges
Ms Josephine Tan Mei Ling, General Manager of Penang Green Council, said the challenge in implementing measures to reduce plastic pollution at a local level, such as the reduction of single-use-plastics and waste segregation, is to encourage people to not just be aware of the problem, but to also take concrete action.
‘Community engagements that create a sense of ownership over the programme are a good practice, which can induce a sustainable implementation,’ said Ms Tan.
One example is the Trash-Free Penang programme, a community reward system which encourages waste segregation at source. By placing recycling stations as a hub for local communities, the system not only allows people to drop off their recyclables, but also to meet and share ideas and experiences for a better environment.
Mr Michikazu Kojima, ERIA's Senior Advisor to the President on Environmental Issues, presented the case of the Moana Taka Partnership, carried out by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) to cut the cost of transporting post-consumer recyclables to recycling facilities, which are mostly located in big cities.
‘The partnership enables the free transport of recyclable waste using empty shipping containers from islands in the Pacific to other countries with proper recycling facilities,’ he said.
He also emphasised the importance of a harmonised design for recycling at the regional level to standardise the plastic recycling trade between ASEAN countries.
Mobilising Private and Public Financing for Plastic Waste Reduction
Data collection and countermeasures require financial support, which can be provided by both the public and private sectors, said Ms Angela Noronha, Director for Growth in Asia for financing company SecondMuse.
Despite being the major players of waste collection and aggregation in the region, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) remain untapped in investment plans, she said. Providing flexible funding to these SMEs can bridge the financing gap and create leverage to drive solutions against plastic pollution.
‘The Incubation Network – a three-year programme that we initiated with Circulate Capital in 2019 – has disbursed a total of US$2.9 million to 100 organisations so they can improve waste management and recycling systems across South and Southeast Asia. From this, we have successfully diverted more than 148,000 metric tons of plastic waste,’ she said.
Mr Shardul Agrawala, Head of the Environment and Economy Integration Division, OECD Environment Directorate, said public sector-led development finance in tackling plastic pollution has been consistently growing since 2015. Most of the funding comes in the form of debt instruments, with official development assistance (ODA) being the largest source of development finance.
‘However, we still need to align the financial support flow with plastic leakage hotspots. For instance, in 2018-2020 only 1.5% of development finance was allocated to India, which accounts for 11% of plastic leakage. On the other hand, 19.4% of finance was allocated to Europe, which only accounts for 2.2% of plastic leakage,’ he said.
Research Associate
