Cleaning of Marine Trash and Micro Debris in the Sea
Ministry of Sustainability and the EnvironmentSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the cleaning of marine debris and the types of trash found on Singapore’s coasts, as raised by Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin and Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang. Minister Grace Fu Hai Yien stated that the National Environment Agency cleans recreational beaches daily, or twice daily during monsoons, to remove common debris like styrofoam and plastic fragments. The Minister emphasized that while natural tides bring in litter, individual social responsibility and community clean-ups are essential to maintaining the cleanliness of blue spaces. Regarding regional efforts, the Minister highlighted Singapore’s active participation in ASEAN declarations and the provision of waste management training for international officials to address marine litter upstream. Finally, the Minister noted that while the Singapore Food Agency regularly inspects seafood, specific studies on micro-plastics in local kelongs would require a separate Parliamentary Question.
Transcript
23 Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) beyond beach clean-ups, how is marine trash (including both micro and macro debris) cleaned off the coasts of Singapore to keep our blue spaces clean; and (b) what are the most common types of (i) micro debris and (ii) macro debris found on our shores.
The Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien): The bulk of our beach litter is marine debris brought in by natural tidal conditions. NEA cleans our recreational beaches twice a day during the Northeast and Southwest monsoon periods, when the amount of marine debris increases. During the rest of the year, the beaches are cleaned daily or four times a week depending on the location.
The most common micro- and macro-debris encountered along our shores are styrofoam, film and hard plastic fragments, with some variation in the volume and distribution of macro-debris due to seasonal monsoons.
We can all do our part to keep our beaches clean. This includes demonstrating social responsibility by not littering, as well as supporting beach clean-ups, especially during the monsoon periods. This will help maintain a pleasant and safe environment for beachgoers and wildlife, and preserve the beauty of our shores.
Mr Speaker: Mr Louis Ng.
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang (Nee Soon): Thank you, Sir, and I thank the Minister for the reply. Could I ask whether MSE is studying whether there is micro-plastic in our local seafood that is bred in the kelongs in Singapore waters? Secondly, I think we do a lot of beach clean-ups and it really is never-ending. I am just wondering whether we can go a bit upstream, work with our neighbouring countries and support some of their waste management and waste disposal plans?
Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: Mr Speaker, I would like to thank the Member for the supplementary questions. SFA will ensure quality and safety of our food regularly and they do inspect on a regular basis. Specifically, with regard to kelong and micro-plastics, I will have to come back to the Member and I will encourage the Member to file a Parliamentary Question if he is interested in this topic.
I do agree with him. With each tide, each day, each monsoon season, marine litter is washed ashore. Indeed, I think we are very, very grateful to many of the community groups that have been conducting beach clean-ups. Some of the Members here have joined them and would appreciate the enthusiasm and the commitment these groups have demonstrated.
We do actively participate at the regional as well as the global arenas. We are active in ASEAN. We participate, we agree, we sign on to declarations to stop and act on marine litter. We are also actively conducting courses for the officials on this issue about tackling waste and managing litters. So, we will be an active member regionally as well as globally. This is a topic that I think is receiving a lot of attention and we will continue to play a constructive and responsible part globally.