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Analyse The Problem Of Ocean Plastic Pollution And Evaluate Viable Alleviation Strategies

Environmental pollution can occur anywhere. Pollution can be caused by waste used by
humans. The waste that is widely used by the community is in the form of plastic waste. In 2018,
Indonesia won the title as the second largest contributor to plastic waste in the sea after China.
This predicate is very counter-productive to Indonesia's efforts to become a leading country in
the maritime sector. In several international conventions, Indonesia has expressed its
commitment to reduce 70% of plastic waste in the sea by 2025. This commitment is contained in
the National Action Plan for Management of Plastic Waste in the Sea (2017-2025).

In the current era, plastic is inseparable from human life. Humans are very dependent on
goods made of plastic because they are strong, elastic, durable, and inexpensive, making the use
of plastic materials surpass most other man-made materials. Plastic is a type of macromolecule
that is formed by a polymerization process, namely the joining process. Some simple molecules
(monomers), go through chemical processes to become large molecules (macromolecules or
polymers). To make plastic, one of the raw materials that is often used is naphtha, which is a
material produced from the distillation of petroleum or natural gas.

Plastic can be fragmented into small sizes that allow it to be consumed by marine life,
even by small invertebrates. Based on the results of the study, although most of the plastic
particles are found at depths of less than 500 meters, it is not uncommon for plastic to have
penetrated into even the untouched marine environment (pristine areas) at depths of 2000. The
form has been fragmented into micro (even nano) sizes. and spread to the bottom of the sea
making it impossible for us to collect all the plastic waste that exists in nature. Some simple
molecules (monomers), go through chemical processes to become large molecules
(macromolecules or polymers).

Marine pollution is the entry or inclusion of living things, substances, energy and/or other
components into the marine environment by human activities, so that the quantity drops to a
certain level which causes the marine environment to no longer comply with quality standards
and/or functions. In the world, there are approximately 192 countries with coastlines including
Indonesia and around 2.5 billion metric tons of waste are produced by these countries with a
contribution of 10% plastic waste. This is a very surprising thing that marine pollution is so
widespread. In addition, Indonesia also has a significant contribution in contributing plastic
waste. The increase in the use of plastic is a consequence of the development of technology,
industry and also the population. In Indonesia, the need for plastics continues to increase to an
average increase of 200 tons per year.

Plastic pollution has been found in marine habitats from the poles to the equator and from
coastlines to the deep ocean. The mass of plastic in the oceans is estimated to accumulate up to
one hundred million metric tons. This condition is very bad, and very difficult to decompose by
bacteria. The source of plastic waste in the sea also comes from fishing nets that are deliberately
discarded or left on the seabed. Uncontrolled plastic waste can cause metabolic disturbances in
marine biota. Apart from that, another problem that can arise is irritation of the pollution system,
which causes many marine life to die. Beyond that, its persistent nature allows the plastic content
that has been in the bodies of marine biota for a long time to move to humans through the food
chain. Based on a study conducted by the Ocean Conservancy agency, it was found that 28% of
fish in Indonesia contain plastic. According to the Australian Coral Reef Research Center
(ARC), reefs that were exposed to plastic waste had the potential to develop disease 89%,
compared to 4% that were not affected by waste. The most exposure to plastic waste on coral
reefs occurs in Indonesia, namely 26 parts per 100 m2.

The impact arising from plastic waste in the sea is in the form of global economic losses
in the fisheries, shipping and tourism sectors. Of course, this has a big impact on Indonesia,
which is an archipelagic country that is very dependent on the sea and marine products. The
direct negative impact of the development of large amounts of plastic on marine organisms, such
as being entangled by plastic and creating blockages in the digestive tract. Based on the results of
the study, around 370 species of marine animals have been found entangled in or have ingested
marine debris worldwide. A total of 7 sea turtles, 14 cetaceans, 20 species of seals and 56 species
of sea birds were found entangled and consuming large amounts of plastic containing chemicals
in plastic.
 From this incident, the international world's attention to plastic waste in the sea (marine
plastic debris) has recently been increasing along with ecological disasters that are starting to be
felt a lot. With a sense of concern about the exponential increase in plastic waste in the sea and
which is increasingly endangering marine life, the government has made several efforts.
Increasing the percentage of plastic waste managed on land is one of the answers to the threat of
increasing the amount of plastic waste in Indonesian seas, considering that 80% of waste in the
sea comes from human activities on land (terrestrial) which are mobilized into the sea and only
20% arises from human activities. shipping, transportation, and tourism.

Garbage management at sea is also related to waste management on land properly

because 80% of marine waste comes from land. The approach used is not only instant and short-
term oriented, but also holistic and long-term oriented. Indonesia has indeed paid special
attention to this problem. However, the most important thing is how this program to reduce
plastic waste in the sea is actually implemented in order to change Indonesia's bad image in the
eyes of the world.

To address the problem of marine litter, Indonesia has made a commitment through the
National Plan of Action for Combating Marine Litter as stipulated in Presidential Regulation No.
83/2018 concerning Management of Marine Debris with a target of reducing marine waste by
70% by 2025 through the National Action Plan for Marine Waste Management (RAN PSL). The
five strategies include a national movement to increase stakeholder awareness, waste
management on land, coastal and coastal waste management, funding mechanisms, institutional
strengthening and law enforcement; and research and development. From the aspect of limiting
the generation of plastic waste, 70 local regulations have been issued to limit the use of single-
use plastics, consisting of two provincial-level regulations in the form of Governor Regulations
and 68 district/city level regulations, Regent Regulations or Mayor Regulations.

In addition, efforts to manage waste into useful products are also very important to be
improved supported by currently developing technologies, for example converting waste into
energy, besides that bio-plastic packaging made from cassava and other plants also has the
potential to be developed. However, the most important thing is the awareness of each individual
to be able to reduce plastic pollution. Another policy that can be made to reduce the presence of
plastic waste in the ocean today is to make policies that prevent plastic and microplastic waste
from entering the ocean. As a follow-up to provide a solution to this problem is the establishment
of an international collaboration to study options for handling the problem of plastic waste in the
sea that are legally binding.

The increasing population of plastic waste in the sea is a concern for all levels of society
because it has a very broad impact. To reduce the impact of plastic waste pollution in the sea,
several countermeasures are needed both on a small and large scale. A simple example that can
be done is to reduce the use of plastic in everyday life. In addition, recycling plastic waste and
using it for various needs can also be an effort. However, for the success of all the efforts made,
there needs to be awareness in everyone to start caring about the surrounding environment for
the comfort of all living things in this world.