Increasing Marine Debris Every Year... Incheon City Aims to Collect 7,000 Tons This Year

Marine debris collection in front of Incheon [Photo by Incheon City]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Incheon City plans to collect 7,000 tons of marine debris this year with a budget of 9.9 billion KRW.

According to the city on the 26th, the amount of marine debris collected has been increasing annually: 4,590 tons in 2018, 5,540 tons in 2019, and 6,589 tons last year.

Accordingly, the city plans to promote 10 projects this year, including new initiatives such as supporting foam polystyrene compactors, strengthening coastal debris collection and marine environment cleanup ship operations, purchasing debris retrieved during fishing operations, and expanding the Sea Environment Guardians program.

First, the city will conduct a year-round cleanup project to prevent coastal debris from flowing into the sea. Personnel and equipment will be deployed to accessible areas such as beaches and rocky shores to collect scattered abandoned fishing nets·and household waste.

Underwater debris will be handled by local fisheries cooperatives, which will purchase debris brought in by fishing vessels during their operations.

Additionally, to collect floating debris, the city operates the marine environment cleanup ship (Incheon Clean Ship) and plans to install floating debris barriers in strengthened waters to prevent debris flowing through the Han River estuary from dispersing into the waters off Incheon.

In collaboration with the Health and Environment Research Institute, continuous monitoring will be conducted, including marine pollution surveys at 34 locations and microplastic pollution surveys at five coastal sites in Incheon.

The Sea Environment Guardians, who monitor illegal dumping and directly collect debris, will be expanded from 6 to 11 members. To encourage participation from citizens, private organizations, and public institutions in reducing marine debris, the city will operate a quarterly "Coastal Cleanup Day," aiming to collect 5 tons this year.

As a new project this year, the city secured a large-scale budget from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to install marine debris collection centers and support compactors for foam polystyrene waste generated from aquaculture activities such as fish farms, thereby increasing efficient debris collection and recycling.

Furthermore, the city plans to work closely with Ongjin County to secure national funding next year for the construction of a cleanup transport vessel to address debris issues on uninhabited islands and other island areas.

This vessel will not only collect and transport marine debris but also carry out various marine environment management activities such as red tide monitoring and pollution accident response in coastal areas.