Contribution by Michael Green Lauridsen, Segment Director APAC, at DESMI Singapore Pte. Ltd.
For more information about DESMI and their solutions, please contact:
Michael Green Lauridsen, Segment Director APAC
Each year approximately 8 million tons of plastic waste leaks into the oceans making it one of the most widespread pollution problems. Pollution from plastics poses a threat to nature and society through its huge negative impact on marine life, fishery resources, the livelihood of coastal areas, basic nature values, tourism, and human health.
More than half of the plastic waste pollution comes from just five Asian countries: China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand.
DESMI is focusing on helping Southeast Asian countries with their marine debris challenges
DESMI EnviRo-Clean, whose mission is to reduce the pollution of plastics in the oceans, mitigates the marine litter as close to the source of pollution as possible. DESMI's range of equipment is designed to be deployed in rivers, preventing the debris to enter the ocean.
DESMI's first initiative in Asia started in India in 2018, in which DESMI signed an agreement with the Indian Ministry of Science & Technology by conducting a Proof of Concept testing of DESMI EnviRo-Clean’s business concept. The latest project installed by DESMI was in December 2020 and in a months’ time, thirteen tonnes of waste were prevented from entering the Hussain Sagar Lake in India.
For more information see: Cleaning Hussain Sagar Lake - Trash and waste removal in India - YouTube
After India, DESMI EnviRo-Clean started to focus on Indonesia. Indonesia faces a mounting plastic pollution crisis. The country is reported as the highest marine debris producer in Southeast Asia, and generates around 6.8 million tonnes of plastic waste per year, a figure that is growing by 5% annually.
Indonesia has a very ambitious plan to reduce its marine plastic by 70% by 2025 and to be near-zero plastic pollution-free by 2040. The plastic waste problem in Indonesia is a domestic challenge – one that requires substantial action and policy change from the local level to fuel momentum nationally. With more than 17.000 islands, 81.000 km coastline and numerous rivers, most of the marine plastic is transported to the ocean by the rivers.
One of the System Change Scenario actions suggested by the Indonesian National Plastic Action Partnership that aims to reduce the ocean leakage is to double the plastic waste collection from 39% to more than 80% by 2025. DESMI has chosen to focus on collecting the plastic pollution in the rivers and preventing it from reaching the ocean through a range of equipment that can collect the floating debris in the rivers and safely remove it from the river into containers or sorting facilities on land.
Complete Marine Debris Solutions as a part of UN's Sustainable Development Goals
DESMI is committed to sustainable growth and collaborates with local authorities and other manufacturers to make a positive difference and contribute to UN's Sustainable Development Goals.
Apart from being a technology provider, DESMI provides complete marine debris solutions that can be integrated with municipal solid waste management programs together with local partners.
DESMI invites all key stakeholders within the sector, including the private sector, to sponsor river clean-up projects in Southeast Asia by placing waste collection systems as close to the source of pollution as possible.
For more information please contact
Michael Green Lauridsen