- Department:Comprehensive Planning Division
In response to the global challenge of microplastic pollution, Minister Peng Chi-ming of the Ministry of the Environment and Minister Kuan Bi-ling of the Ocean Affairs Council held a joint press conference today. They announced the joint establishment of a “land-to-sea” monitoring and control system. By adopting strategies such as lifestyle changes, scientific monitoring, and pollution removal and cleanup, and combining forces with the private sector, the government aims to reduce microplastic pollution. The event featured Associate Professor Hsu Rui-feng, Professor Cheng Tsun-jen, and Principal Huang Jian-rong of Yueh-Ming Elementary and Junior High School in Yilan, who shared the fruitful outcomes of public-private collaboration and called on the public to join hands in plastic reduction and marine protection to safeguard Taiwan!
Lifestyle change is the core focus of microplastic governance. The Ministry of Environment has banned the addition of microplastics in cosmetics and personal care products since 2017. Currently, through amendments to the Resource Circulation Promotion Act and the Waste Disposal Act, the approach has shifted from “prohibitions and restrictions” to “determining a product’s circular potential at the source,” promoting reusable models and reducing the use of single-use products. Regarding environmental monitoring, the National Environmental Research Academy under the Ministry of the Environment has established multiple technologies in recent years. According to the 2025 monitoring data from 37 water treatment plants with large water supplies nationwide, the detection rate of tap water microplastics was only 22% (detected in 8 plants), with a concentration range of 0 to 4 particles per liter. This is significantly lower than the 83% detection rate and concentration range of 0 to 57 particles per liter surveyed by Orb Media, an international non-profit organization.
The marine environment is one of the ultimate receptors of microplastic pollution. Taiwan has integrated cross-agency efforts to promote the "Salute to the Sea - Coastal Cleanup and Maintenance Program." According to Ministry of the Environment statistics, approximately 362,000 metric tons of waste were cleared and 8,442 beach cleanup sessions were completed over the six-year period from 2020 to 2025. Notably, plastic waste in 2025 decreased by approximately 50.8% compared to that in 2019. The Ocean Affairs Council stated that through measures such as the Ocean Clean-up Alliance and clean-up actions, a total of 3,641 metric tons of marine debris were removed in 2025. The Ocean Affairs Council has also actively recruited private sector support for cleanup efforts; from 2020 through the end of 2025, it accumulated a total of 6,665 eco-ships to pick up floating marine debris and assembled 6,089 eco-divers to clear underwater waste.
The Ocean Affairs Council has established a systematic monitoring mechanism since 2020, covering seawater and organisms at the mouths of major rivers across Taiwan, and intercepting them from the marine ecosystem through diverse public awareness and removal measures. Furthermore, the identified seawater microplastic data has been uploaded to the "Atlas of Ocean Microplastics (AOMI) Global Open Database" commissioned by the Ministry of the Environment of Japan to align with international standards. The Ocean Affairs Council also actively promotes the conversion of marine debris into resources, establishing the Marine Debris Recycling Alliance to connect recyclers, brand owners, and research institutions, resulting in 66 types of recycled marine debris products.
Looking ahead, the Ministry of the Environment and the Ocean Affairs Council will collaborate to develop monitoring technologies, gradually establish environmental databases, combine efforts from all sectors to maintain land and sea cleanliness, and encourage the next generation to take an active role in protecting our environment. Additionally, the National Health Research Institutes and the National Science and Technology Council have invested in human exposure assessments for microplastics. Meanwhile, the Ministry of the Environment is evaluating policies such as circular design, drinking water quality standards, and tire wear controls to continuously improve and diversely protect Taiwan's health and ecological environment!
For more information, please visit the Ministry of the Environment’s website: https://www.moenv.gov.tw/ and the Ocean Affairs Council’s website: https://www.oac.gov.tw/ch/index.jsp.
