Coastal waste has been reduced by 66 percent over the past six years, with a total of 84,000 tonnes of waste removed by government agencies last year, the Environmental Management Administration said yesterday.
In 2020, the ministry launched Salute to the Seas, the Coastal Cleaning and Maintenance Project, with the second phase running from 2024 through next year.
The Executive Yuan on Tuesday reviewed the project’s outcomes and lauded 12 of the 15 central authorities and 11 of the 19 coastal local authorities involved.
Photo courtesy of the Changhua County Environmental Protection Bureau
Environmental Management Administration Deputy Director-General Liu Jui-hsiang (劉瑞祥) praised the agencies for their outstanding performance in cleanup promptness and management guidelines.
Through interagency cooperation, the average amount of coastal garbage was reduced from 2,294 tonnes per kilometer in 2019 to 772 tonnes per kilometer last year, down by nearly 66 percent over the past six years, Liu said.
Agency data showed that about 84,000 tonnes of coastal garbage was removed nationwide last year, with processing days averaging seven, aligning with the target set by the policy.
During the project’s second phase, the Ocean Conservation Administration recycled 313 tonnes of marine debris and discarded fishing nets, while the Fisheries Agency subsidized 215,000 modified aquaculture floats and set up 24 temporary storage sites for marine debris.
Modified aquaculture floats are more durable and eco-friendly than their conventional counterparts, Liu said, adding that they are particularly useful for oyster growers in western Taiwan’s coastal areas, such as Tainan or Yunlin County’s Taisi Township (台西).
Regarding the project’s third phase proposal, which is to be sent to the Executive Yuan for review by February next year, Liu said it is expected to be focused on upstream marine debris reduction and in-depth cleanups.
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