EPA, EU mission in Taiwan collect 400kg of trash in beach cleanup

Taipei, Oct. 18 (CNA) Over 400 kilograms of trash and 36 kg of recyclable waste was picked up by volunteers at a New Taipei beach Saturday, in a cleanup organized by the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) and the European Economic and Trade Office (EETO), the EPA said Sunday.

Led by the EPA Minister Chang Tzi-chin (張子敬) and EETO head Filip Grzegorzewski, 200 volunteers joined the cleanup effort at Wanli beach, the EPA said in a press release.

The volunteers, including EPA, EETO and Ministry of Foreign Affairs staff and their families, collected 404 kg of trash and 36 kg of recyclable materials, according to the EPA.

It was the third joint cleanup effort in Taiwan by the EPA and EETO to address the issue of marine plastic pollution, according to the EPA.

Meanwhile, in a post on the EETO Facebook page, Grzegorzewski was quoted as saying that the EU is determined to promote a healthy and sustainable ocean.

"The ocean is a source of life, a cradle of biodiversity, and it acts as a climate regulator," he said.

According to the EETO, every year from September to November, around the time of International Coastal Cleanup Day on the third Saturday in September, the EU mobilizes its delegations around the world to organize beach or river cleanup activities.

In 2019, more than 40,000 volunteers joined the approximately 80 delegations worldwide in their cleanup efforts.

This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan was among the two dozen places in the world that could hold a physical cleanup event, said the EETO, which represents EU interests in Taiwan.