Indonesia enters new agreement with the Netherlands and The Ocean Cleanup

Interceptor 001 in Jakarta © The Ocean Cleanup

Indonesia has an ambitious goal: to reduce marine plastic debris by 70% by 2025. One strategy for achieving that goal is to use technology to prevent waste leakage from land to the ocean through rivers.

Today, the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment of Indonesia, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management of the Netherlands, and The Ocean Cleanup, the international non-profit project developing and scaling technologies to rid the oceans of plastic, signed a joint declaration aimed at expanding river cleanup activities in Indonesia.

Following the expiration of the Arrangement between the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia and the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment of the Netherlands on the Pilot Project of Cleaning Up Rivers in the Jakarta Area, signed on July 12, 2017, and with due regard to other existing agreements between the two countries, and considering the positive results of the Joint Research project with Interceptor 001 in Jakarta, both government entities have endorsed the deployment of river clean-up systems in Indonesia by The Ocean Cleanup.

The Ocean Cleanup will seek support from national, regional, and local governments, international institutions, and third parties including the private sector and potential funders, in achieving the deployment ambitions for additional Interceptor Solutions in the Republic of Indonesia.

For each river clean-up system, implementation arrangements among the relevant implementation agencies will be discussed and agreed upon in due course.

"Marine plastic debris is our common enemy. Polluted rivers are a source of plastic debris leakage into the ocean. We require extraordinary and integrated solutions to responsibly manage the waste in the river and in the ocean", stated Minister Luhut, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment of Indonesia.

"This recognition by both the Indonesian and the Dutch government of our work is essential for us," said Boyan Slat, Founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup. "There are several dozen target rivers in Indonesia where we would aim to deploy Interceptors, and this endorsement provides essential backing to our initiatives."

"It's very encouraging to see this positive collaboration between our two governments and The Ocean Cleanup continue, " said Lambert Grijns, Ambassador of the Netherlands in Indonesia. "Despite the scale of the plastic challenge, the endorsement of these innovative solutions and partnerships gives me hope that we can work together to finally solve this problem for the benefit of all."

theoceancleanup.com