Oral Reply to Parliamentary Question on the Yearly Estimated Percentage of Marine Debris in the Past Five Years

Oral Reply by Mr Desmond Tan, Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment, to Parliamentary Question on the Yearly Estimated Percentage of Marine Debris in the Past Five Years

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) for each year in the past five years, what is the estimated percentage of marine debris that originates from (i) disposal of waste from ships and (ii) floating debris from neighbouring countries; and (b) if such data is not currently collected, whether the Ministry will start collecting the data.

Answer:

1. In 2019 and 2020, NEA cleared, on average, about 3,500 tonnes of marine debris that washed onto our beaches each year, while MPA collected, on average, about 1,000 tonnes of flotsam from the sea each year. However, apportioning this marine litter to different sources is inherently challenging, as there is currently no internationally accepted methodology to conclusively determine the origins of transboundary marine litter.