Taiwan’s Environment Ministry and Ocean Affairs Council are working together to tackle microplastics pollution through monitoring and control measures stretching “from land to sea.” The two ministry-level agencies announced the joint effort will focus on lifestyle changes, scientific monitoring, cleanup work and public-private cooperation.

Speaking at the Environment Ministry in Taipei on Friday, May 8, Ocean Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said the problem of microplastics and marine waste cannot be solved by a single ministry. She said microplastics had entered the planet’s circulation system, including oceans, rivers, soil, rainwater and air.

“Today, we are formally demonstrating our resolve to work together across ministries,” the ocean affairs council minister said.

Environment Minister Peng Chi-ming (彭啟明) said at the media event that microplastics management begins with source reduction and extends to environmental monitoring and cleanup before waste breaks down into smaller particles. “The sea has already endured too much,” he said.

The ministers suggested they would build on measures already undertaken by their respective agencies. 

Microplastics in cosmetics and personal cleansing products have been banned in Taiwan since 2017, the Environment Ministry said, adding that it is now pushing circular economy legislation to reduce single-use products and promote reuse.

Since 2020, the Ocean Affairs Council has built a monitoring system for seawater and organisms near major river mouths, uploaded marine microplastics data to an international database, and recruited 6,665 environmental protection vessels and 6,089 divers to help remove marine waste, according to the council.