Marine debris phenomena are still a widely-discussed topic, especially in Indonesia. In fact, Indonesia is the 23rd world’s largest plastic waste contributor with a probability of 4.45% of mismanaged waste entering the ocean (Our World In Data, 2019). The real impacts of marine debris, especially plastic, have affected many people. This becomes urgent to find solutions since we shouldn’t let dead sea animals entangled in plastic and eat it. Furthermore, the threat of microplastics that enter our body and blood is fearsome to anyone when consuming seafood.
It is reasonable that people worry about it since 12,7 million tonnes of plastic waste are found in the ocean every year (Condor Ferries, 2020-2021). Hence, we have to understand the leakage of plastic, so we can figure out the prevention. One of the sources of marine debris in Indonesia is rivers.
The problematic river waste
The river is like a channel that drains our household waste into the ocean. A study entitled “Tracking Marine Litter With a Global Ocean Model: Where Does It Go? Where Does It Come From?” reveals that 80% of plastic debris is carried by more than 1000 rivers in the world. Interestingly, rivers that carry a lot of garbage are mostly small rivers that surround densely populated settlements.
The Journey of Waste From River to Ocean
Waste has a long journey from the land through the river, before finally floating in the ocean. Most of us won’t fully know where our waste ends up, is it managed well in the waste processing center or thrown into the ocean? Every waste has its different journey: some of them go to the recycling industry or waste bank, and others are well managed in the waste processing centers. Meanwhile, some of them enter the river because of mismanagement in waste processing centers, and others are immediately moved to the river because it was thrown carelessly. Whatever the journeys are, waste that is scattered and left untreated will end up in the ocean.
Even though they end up in the ocean, it doesn’t mean they won’t damage the environment. About 59% of Indonesia’s rivers are polluted by waste and hazardous waste. Waste that settles at the bottom of the river or gets stuck in rocks and trees on the banks of the river can damage water quality which reduces water oxygen levels. It will cause river biota mass death. The settled river waste also causes microplastic like marine debris. For example, the study of Ekspedisi Sungai Nusantara found 180 microplastics in every 100 liters of Ciwulan River water in Tasikmalaya that was polluted with plastic waste.
When river waste ends up in the ocean, it also causes the same impact as river waste. Marine debris will damage the environment slowly by changing the food chain and destroying the habitat. Slowly but surely, the damaged ecosystem kills marine life and will threaten the survival of mankind who need nutrients from seafood.
Stop The Waste From River to Ocean
The problem is getting out of hand, various solutions to overcome river waste to prevent waste end up in the ocean have not yielded significant results for the environment. Efforts such as education, providing facilities for catching and processing waste, and also cleaning up rivers and beaches have not been completely solving the problem. Those good initiatives require huge encouragement from the government through the formulation and firm enforcement of policies that favor zero-waste life movement, sustainable consumption and production implementation, and responsible waste management.
