Taiwan pledged deeper cooperation to tackle microplastic pollution, outlining a “land-sea” strategy focused on source reduction, scientific monitoring and marine waste recycling as concerns grow over the environmental and health impacts of plastic particles.
At a joint press conference on Friday, the island’s Ocean Affairs Council and Ministry of Environment said they would strengthen management of microplastics through five key areas: reducing pollution at the source, scientific monitoring, circular reuse, marine waste cleanup and international cooperation.
Ocean Affairs Council minister Kuan Bi-ling said oceans were Taiwan’s most valuable natural asset and a critical foundation for livelihoods and industry. The council is the island’s cabinet-level body responsible for overall marine policy and coordination.
Referring to the United Nations’ announcement of the 2026 World Oceans Day theme, “Reimagine”, Kuan said the concept called for humanity to redefine its relationship with the ocean and shift marine governance from a development-oriented approach to a responsibility-oriented one.
“Future conditions will not improve automatically. We must build them together,” she said.
Kuan said the government had been conducting microplastic sampling surveys in waters near major river estuaries around Taiwan since 2020, creating a six-year baseline database on marine microplastic concentrations.
According to the government data, concentrations in Taiwan’s surrounding surface waters ranged from non-detectable levels to 2.28 particles per cubic metre, broadly within ranges recorded in domestic and international studies.
The most common materials identified were polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS), while plastic fragments accounted for the largest share by type.
Those plastics are widely used in packaging, disposable containers, fishing gear and household products, making them among the most common forms of marine plastic pollution worldwide.
The authorities said the long-term data would help identify pollution hotspots and seasonal patterns, providing a scientific basis for future policymaking and pollution prevention.
Kuan said most marine microplastics originated from larger plastic waste breaking down over time through sunlight exposure, weathering and fragmentation, underscoring the need to focus on marine debris management as well as monitoring.
From 2020 to 2025, Taiwan recruited 6,665 fishing vessels into its “Environmental Fleet” programme and 6,089 volunteer divers into a marine cleanup initiative, working with 19 coastal local governments to remove more than 19,000 tonnes of marine debris from oceans and coastlines, officials said.
Kuan warned that microplastic pollution had become a global circulation problem rather than a localised issue, citing research showing that microplastics can travel through the atmosphere across borders and can also originate from everyday sources such as laundry wastewater.
Studies have found microplastics in rainwater, Arctic snow, deep-sea sediments and even human blood and placentas, raising growing concerns among scientists and regulators over their long-term environmental and health impacts.
“To govern the ocean, we cannot focus only on the sea. We must work deeply with land-based systems as well,” she said.
The government said it had also established a Taiwan Marine Debris Governance Platform with environmental groups to coordinate action on source reduction, recycling, interception and removal of waste, scientific research and broader public participation.
The Ocean Conservation Administration’s recycling alliance now includes 77 companies working with local governments and recyclers to reuse discarded fishing nets, oyster ropes and marine polystyrene waste, turning potential pollution sources into recycled materials and commercial products. The administration is a subordinate agency under the Ocean Affairs Council that focuses specifically on marine conservation, pollution monitoring and ocean ecosystem protection.
Although Taiwan is not a member of the United Nations, Kuan said the island would continue aligning its policies with the principles of the proposed Global Plastics Treaty by adopting a “full life-cycle” governance approach and uploading monitoring data to international scientific platforms.
Negotiators are working toward a legally binding global plastics treaty under the United Nations Environment Programme, though talks have faced disagreements over production limits, chemical regulations and financing responsibilities.
Under the division of responsibilities announced on Friday, the Environment Ministry will focus on source reduction and pollution prevention, while the Ocean Affairs Council will oversee marine environmental monitoring and ocean impact assessments as part of what officials described as a comprehensive governance chain to reduce the flow of microplastics into the ocean.
