Putrajaya partners with Ocean Cleanup to tackle river pollution

 

The Natural Resources, Energy and Climate Change Ministry has inked a memorandum of cooperation with The Ocean Cleanup to expand and strengthen their existing efforts on reducing plastic pollution in rivers.

Its secretary-general Ching Thoo Kim said Malaysia will be able to leverage the Dutch NGO's technology, research and experience to address the challenges posed by plastic waste.

"We earnestly hope that we will be able to catalyse change and set new benchmarks in the global fight against plastic pollution by joining forces," he said in a statement.

The Ocean Cleanup is a Netherlands-based NGO headed by Boyan Slat. In 2019, the group launched their pioneering floating barrier which collected floating rubbish from the Klang River.

Dubbed the Interceptor 002, the solar-powered machine was aimed at reducing the amount of plastics entering the ocean.

A second device, known as the Interceptor 005, which was sponsored by British rock band Coldplay, was placed on the Klang River in 2021.

At the time, The Ocean Cleanup only had a deal with the Selangor government.

A 2021 research paper on Science.org ranked Malaysia as the third largest contributor to plastic emissions into the ocean. - Mkini