REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Noting that plastic waste in the archipelago's sea have serious consequences for the nation, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Susi Pudjiastuti stated all parties should work to resolve the matter. The ministry has carried out all the necessary measures to its maximum capability, including by continuously campaigning about it, she remarked.

"Marine debris is creating massive problems for humankind," the minister said in a press conference in Jakarta, Thursday.

The Directorate General of Marine Space Management of the ministry has distributed nets to be set up over a number of river estuaries so the waste materials do not flow into the open ocean through the river, she stressed. Even though the regulation to ban the use of plastic does not come under the purview of the ministry, she reiterated her support and encouragement to the various local governments to issue rules relating to this matter.

She also expressed hope that more people would be made aware of the pollution in the sea and make efforts to avoid the use of plastics in their daily lives.