Combating Ocean Debris: Marine Plastic Pollution and Waste Regulation in Indonesia

Abstract

Marine plastic pollution (MPP) is one of the major global environmental threats in the Anthropocene era that requires a coordinated legal response from local to international levels. This article explores how the Indonesian legal and institutional framework deals with MPP. Despite the diversity of existing instruments, Indonesia has not adopted all the necessary measures to prevent, reduce and control MPP from land and marine sources. Although progress at the national level to date has been relatively slow, some local authorities have recently taken the initiative to establish single-use plastics regulations, which offer promising prospects for MPP treatment in the future. Indonesia can only change its status as the second largest MPP contributor after China through a special law targeting plastic waste based on the life cycle of plastics and supported by consistent implementation.