OVERVIEW OF MARINE LITTER RELATED LEGISLATURE, POLICIES, AND ACTION PLANS
The NOWPAP member states are already parties to the existing global marine-litter related legal framework such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL Convention), the Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution from Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter (London Convention) and the Basel Convention on the Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal (Basel Convention). And there are other international instruments related to marine litter, such as the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities (GPA), the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF) by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Honolulu Strategy by the United Nations Environment Programme and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States of America and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically goal 14.1 of the United Nations General Assembly.
The G7 Summit agreed on the management of marine litter to protect the marine environment and announced the ‘G7 Action Plan to Combat Marine Litter’ as an annex. In July 2017, the G20, including China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Russia, agreed on the G20 Action Plan on Marine Litter, which includes seven policies and 41 tasks to be implemented to cope with the marine litter problem. The G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan, 2019, declared the vision to reduce additional pollution by marine plastic litter to zero by 2050 through a comprehensive life cycle approach and endorsed the “G20 Implementation Framework for Actions on Marine Plastic Litter”.
Complying with the international conventions and agreements on marine litter, the NOWPAP member states are encouraged to have national legal frameworks dedicated to the issue and strengthen the implementation of existing policies and measures. Laws, regulations, and action plans related to marine litter have been improved in the NOWPAP member states. China strengthened the regulations on the import of plastic waste and domestic waste separation. In particular, Japan has a law targeting beach litter, which has been expanded to encompass floating and sunk litter. Korea continues to implement its 5-year action plan targeting marine litter based on a rather general law covering the general marine environment and a new law on marine litter. Russia has a new federal and regional law on solid waste. Table below summarizes most of the national laws, regulations, and action plans related to marine litter. The bold highlighted ones represent key laws and regulations.
National laws, regulations and action plans related to marine litter in member states
Classification | Laws | Regulations | Notice/Order | Action Plan |
China |
Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution Caused by Solid Wastes
Law on Control of Ocean Waste Dumping |
Regulations on the Prevention of Marine Environmental Pollution by Marine Construction Projects
Regulations on Strengthening Management of Plastic Package Wastes along Main Roads, in River basins and at Tourist Attractions
Regulations on the Control of Environmental Pollution by Ship-based Wastes
Regulation on the Safety Management of Hazardous Chemicals
Regulations on the Management of Marine Dumping |
Administrative Measures for the Import of Solid Waste
Administrative Measures for Examination and Approval of the Export of Hazardous Wastes |
Integrated Reform Plan for Promoting Ecological Progress
Water Pollution Control Action Plan
Coastal Pollution Prevention and Control Plan
Urban Black and Odorous Water Management Battle Plan
Agricultural and Rural Pollution Control
Plan on Prevention and Control of Pollution from Ship and Ports
Yangtze River Protection and Reconstruction Battle Plan
Bohai Comprehensive Management Battle Plan |
Japan |
Waste Management and Public Cleansing Law (effective date: 25 December 1970; revised on 02 June 2006),
Law on the Prevention of Marine Pollution and Maritime Disaster(Effective date: 25 February 1970; revised on 19 May 2004 and 30 March 2007),
Seacoast Law (effective date: 12 May 1956; revised on 08 February 2004),
Law for the Promotion of Marine Litter Disposal since July 2009 (revised on 22 June 2018)
Fundamental Law for Establishing a Sound Material-Cycle Society(2000) |
Cabinet Order of Waste Management and Public Law (Effective date: 24 September 1971; revised on 31 March 2006) |
|
Plastic Resource Circulation Strategy
Fourth Fundamental Plan for Establishing a Sound Material-Cycle Society(2018)
Basic Policy for the Comprehensively and Effectively Promoting Measures against Marine Litter (revised 2019)
National Action Plan for Marine Plastic Litter (2019) |
Korea |
Environmental Policy Basic Law (1990)
Marine Environment Management Act (MEMA) came into force in January 2008 after the revision ofhttps://www.law.go.kr/LSW/lsInfoP.do?lsiSeq=4992 Since Jan 2009;
Coastal Management Act (2000);
Marine and Fisheries Development Basic Law (2002);
Port Management Law (2008);
Act on Marine Environment Conservation and Utilization (enforced on 22 Sep 2017; enacted on 21 Mar 2017)
Resource Circulation Basic Law |
Regulation on the Use of Disposable Plastic Bags |
|
The 3rd National Marine Litter Management Plan (2019~2023)
The First Resource Recycling Basic Plan (2018~2027)
Comprehensive Plan for Marine Plastics Reduction (2019)
Comprehensive measures for Recycling Waste Management (5 Aug 2018) |
Russia |
Federal Law on Production and Consumption Wastes(Approved on December 29, 2014);
|
Federal Government Regulation on Solid Consumption Waste Management
Federal Government Regulation on Development, Public Discussion, Approval, Correction of Territorial Schemes in the Field of Industry and Consumption Waste Management
|
Order of Sakhalinskaya oblast Ministry of Natural Resources and Safety Environment |
Federal Standard of The Best Available Technologies for Resource-Saving, Hierarchical Procedure of the Waste Management |