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Marine litter negatively affects the environment, people and coastal economies around the world. In the Pacific region, the problem is even more severe given countries’ reliance on healthy ocean ecosystems and services. To promote a Cleaner Pacific, SPREP actively participated in the International Coastal Clean-up Day 2023 through the Agence française de Développement-funded SWAP Project, in collaboration with the Australian funded POLP Project, as well as the ISLANDS Pacific Ocean and PLASTIC TIDE TURNERS Projects. Hence, the SWAP project supported the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in Samoa to conduct a beach clean-up activity. 55 participants volunteered for the preservation of their environment by collecting 35 kg of waste from the mangrove of the village of Vaovai located in the Falealili District, Upolu, Samoa.

A circular economy approach seeks to replace the 'take-make-waste' linear model with a circular model, rethinking how we produce, consume and dispose resources.

About POLP The Pacific Ocean Litter Project (POLP) is about reducing the volume of single-use plastics ending up as marine litter in Pacific coastal environments. The 7-year project (2019-2027) is funded with AUD 16 million from the Australian Government and implemented by SPREP in collaboration with the governments and peoples of Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. POLP will support the phase-out of specific types of single-use plastics from land-based sources, including household litter and tourism waste. It will also support behaviour change in the users, consumers and producers of plastics and the introduction of alternative products. For more information on POLP, visit: www.sprep.org/polp

About POLP The Pacific Ocean Litter Project (POLP) is about reducing the volume of single-use plastics ending up as marine litter in Pacific coastal environments. The 7-year project (2019-2027) is funded with AUD 16 million from the Australian Government and implemented by SPREP in collaboration with the governments and peoples of Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. POLP will support the phase-out of specific types of single-use plastics from land-based sources, including household litter and tourism waste. It will also support behaviour change in the users, consumers and producers of plastics and the introduction of alternative products. For more information on POLP, visit: www.sprep.org/polp

About POLP The Pacific Ocean Litter Project (POLP) is about reducing the volume of single-use plastics ending up as marine litter in Pacific coastal environments. The 7-year project (2019-2027) is funded with AUD 16 million from the Australian Government and implemented by SPREP in collaboration with the governments and peoples of Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. POLP will support the phase-out of specific types of single-use plastics from land-based sources, including household litter and tourism waste. It will also support behaviour change in the users, consumers and producers of plastics and the introduction of alternative products. For more information on POLP, visit: www.sprep.org/polp

About POLP The Pacific Ocean Litter Project (POLP) is about reducing the volume of single-use plastics ending up as marine litter in Pacific coastal environments. The 7-year project (2019-2027) is funded with AUD 16 million from the Australian Government and implemented by SPREP in collaboration with the governments and peoples of Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. POLP will support the phase-out of specific types of single-use plastics from land-based sources, including household litter and tourism waste. It will also support behaviour change in the users, consumers and producers of plastics and the introduction of alternative products. For more information on POLP, visit: www.sprep.org/polp

About POLP The Pacific Ocean Litter Project (POLP) is about reducing the volume of single-use plastics ending up as marine litter in Pacific coastal environments. The 7-year project (2019-2027) is funded with AUD 16 million from the Australian Government and implemented by SPREP in collaboration with the governments and peoples of Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. POLP will support the phase-out of specific types of single-use plastics from land-based sources, including household litter and tourism waste. It will also support behaviour change in the users, consumers and producers of plastics and the introduction of alternative products. For more information on POLP, visit: www.sprep.org/polp

About POLP The Pacific Ocean Litter Project (POLP) is about reducing the volume of single-use plastics ending up as marine litter in Pacific coastal environments. The 7-year project (2019-2027) is funded with AUD 16 million from the Australian Government and implemented by SPREP in collaboration with the governments and peoples of Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. POLP will support the phase-out of specific types of single-use plastics from land-based sources, including household litter and tourism waste. It will also support behaviour change in the users, consumers and producers of plastics and the introduction of alternative products. For more information on POLP, visit: www.sprep.org/polp

Waste data analysis and reporting for the Pacific Regional Waste Audit Analysis report was guided by the overarching Regional Waste Data Collection, Monitoring and reporting (DCMR) Framework for the Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICT). The implementation of the DCMR Framework ensures that waste data is collected, analysed and reported in a consistent and reliable was across the Pacific

The impact of waste and pollution is taking its toll on the health of communities, degrading natural ecosystems, threatening food security, impeding resilience to climate change, and adversely impacting social and economic development of countries in the region.