To maintain the cleanliness of coasts, oceans, and rivers, Executive Yuan approved the “Salute to the Ocean: Coastal Cleanup ＆ Maintenance Program (2020-2023)” on May 7, 2020. Led by the Ministry of Environment, the Program is jointly implemented by 9 ministries and local governments focusing on "cleaning up", "waste reduction", "removing wastes", "transparency", and "education". At the same time, several measures for “reducing waste from the source” have been established. The coastal waste monitoring survey results showed that from 2019 to 2023, After analyzing the top 5 waste items, the number of PET bottles ranked first for 5 consecutive years. The data on PET bottles and PET bottle caps aligned with the findings from previous years; these two types of waste comprise a higher percentage of the waste found in Taiwan. Based on these results, this Project recommends continuing to devote to drafting policies on source reduction, plastic reduction, and waste disposal specifically targeting the PET bottle industry.

Coastal clean-up, Coastal waste survey, Salute to the Ocean