National Marine Litter Policy and Action Plan (NMLPAP) 2021 - 2030.

This Marine Litter Policy and Action Plan represents a comprehensive 10-year national framework designed to steer efforts in combating marine litter pollution. This pollution, as defined by UNEP, encompasses any enduring solid material of human origin, particularly plastic, that is discarded, abandoned, or disposed of in marine and coastal environments. It poses significant threats to the environment, economy, public health, aesthetics, and cultural heritage, leading to the degradation of marine and coastal ecosystems and resulting in socioeconomic losses in marine-dependent sectors. The primary objective of this Policy is to diminish marine plastic pollution in Malaysia by implementing a series of strategic measures throughout the plastic lifecycle. These measures are articulated across five key pillars (1) Policy Adoption and Implementation; (2) Deployment of Technologies, Innovation and Capacity Building; (3) Improve Monitoring and Data Collection on Marine Litter; (4) Communication, Education and Public Awareness (CEPA) and Outreach; (5) Whole-Of-Nation and Multi-Stakeholders Approach. To achieve the objective, the document focuses on two core themes (1) strengthen the evidence base for informed decision making to address marine litter by building national capacities to monitor plastic value chain and assessing waste leakage hotspots in line with global best practices; (2) deploy practical actions in phases to tackle sources of marine litter pollution in Malaysia in-line with the latest global innovations, further developed over time through enhanced evidence-based strategies. The NMLPAP 2021-2030 will be implemented alongside the National Roadmap Towards Zero Single-Use Plastics 2018-2030 and the Plastic Sustainability Roadmap 2021-2030.
The National Marine Litter Policy and Action Plan serves the following overarching objectives (i) develop robust policies to address marine litter pollution comprehensively; (ii) establish a roadmap for tackling marine litter pollution, informed by scientific evidence and insights gained from international, regional, and local initiatives; (iii) facilitate coordinated efforts across all levels of government—Federal, State, and local—as well as among the public, private, and social sectors; (iv) promote research and innovation to prevent, monitor, and combat marine litter pollution; (v) implement state-of-the-art technologies and innovations, underpinned by stringent national standards and guidelines, and reinforce the institutional and legal framework; (vi) foster the exchange of best practices and knowledge sharing, while enhancing regional and international cooperation and raising awareness to inspire behavioral change; (vii) enhance access to funding opportunities and encourage private sector engagement to drive investments, stimulate trade, create markets, and institute market-based incentives in industries and activities that facilitate marine litter management and prevention.