Reducing Marine Debris Program, Subprogram 1

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Indonesia is the world's largest archipelago and among the largest contributors of plastic marine debris globally, with 5,000 tonnes of plastic entering Indonesia's ecosystems every day. Plastic pollution damages marine ecosystems, undermines coastal tourism and fishing livelihoods, and introduces microplastics into the food system. More than 60% of plastic waste is either not collected or mishandled with the majority being burnt in the open, this loss of recyclable material to the circular economy, and resulting improper disposal, directly contributes to resulting increases in greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), and air pollution, and hinders the adaption of ecosystems to climate change. To address this issue, the Government of Indonesia has committed to an ambitious target of handling 70% of plastic marine debris by 2025 in a National Action Plan (NAP) for Handling Marine Debris. The Reducing Marine Debris Program is aligned with this action plan. A programmatic approach that combines policy-based loans, technical assistance (TA), and knowledge support was selected to support the government as it allows complex and ambitious reforms to be addressed comprehensively and enables ADB to support acceleration of the implementation of the NAP.