Indonesia Enters New Agreement With the Netherlands and the Ocean Cleanup to Reduce Marine Debris From Rivers

Indonesia and the Netherlands consider marine plastic debris a priority, aim to further reduce plastic inflow from rivers to oceans in Indonesia

• The Ocean Cleanup’s Interceptor Solutions endorsed by Indonesian and Dutch Governments following positive Interceptor 001 pilot in Jakarta

• Indonesia amplifies attention on marine plastic pollution alongside Ocean 20 program, initiated during G20 Presidency

Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, November 14, 2022 – 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.”

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PRESS CONTACTS FOR THE OCEAN CLEANUP

CFF Communications, Amsterdam
Niels Broekhof
E: press@theoceancleanup.com
T: +31 (0)6 30 37 49 30
U.S. Media Representative, San Francisco
Alan Dunton
E: adunton@shiftcomm.com
T: +1 415-290-8219

Head Division of Public Relations, Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment of the Republic of Indonesia
Khairul Hidayati
humas@maritim.go.id
+62 811 2388 5134

Deputy Head of Culture and Communication, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Indonesia
Jaef de Boer
jaef-de.boer@minbuza.nl
+62 811 1953 5134

ABOUT THE OCEAN CLEANUP

The Ocean Cleanup is an international nonprofit project that develops and scales technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic. They aim to achieve this goal by taking a two-pronged approach: stemming the inflow via rivers and cleaning up what has already accumulated in the ocean. For the latter, The Ocean Cleanup develops large-scale systems to efficiently concentrate the plastic for periodic removal. This plastic is tracked and traced through DNV’s chain of custody model to certify claims of origin when recycling it into new products. To close the tap in rivers, The Ocean Cleanup has developed a portfolio of Interceptor™ Solutions to halt and extract riverine plastic before it reaches the ocean. Founded in 2013 by Boyan Slat, The Ocean Cleanup now employs a broadly multi-disciplined team of approximately 130. The foundation is based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

For more information, visit: theoceancleanup.com and follow @theoceancleanup on social media.