On May 22-23, 2023, the Basel Convention Regional Centre for Asia and the Pacific/Stockholm Convention Regional Centre for Capacity-building and the Transfer of Technology in Asia and the Pacific (hereinafter referred to as "BCRC China") successfully organized the Forum on Plastic Waste and POPs in Asia Pacific Region in Sanya, Hainan Province, China. The forum was held in a combination of online and offline mode, with more than 50 representatives from 6 countries, including China, Cambodia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar and Sri Lanka, representatives of scientific research institutes and business circles (online + offline) attending the forum. The topics of the meeting included four aspects: Stockholm Convention national implementation plan/national report update, plastics and plastic waste management, Basel Convention regional implementation and plastic waste guideline discussion, case sharing, etc.

 

The meeting was chaired and opened by Bolikovac Craig, Senior Consultant at BCRC China. In terms of plastics and plastic waste management, Zhao Nana, assistant director of BCRC China, introduced the progress of plastic pollution prevention and control; Dong Mengqi, a postdoctoral fellow at the School of Environment, Tsinghua University, introduced single-use plastics and their waste management strategies in the Asia-Pacific region; Zhu Jinhui, the Director of Plastic Prohibition Office, Department of Ecology and Environment of Hainan Province, introduced the implementation progress of the plastic ban in Hainan Province; Professor Ma Wenchao of Hainan University introduced the analysis and forecast of waste plastic trade after the ban on foreign garbage in China, and Dong Qingyin the Associate Professor of BCRC China, introduced the relevant results of "Regulation and Implementation Analysis of Transboundary Movement of Plastic Waste in Asia". Representatives from Cambodia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar and Sri Lanka introduced the current situations of plastic pollution control, POPs compliance and management in each country.

 

Through this meeting, the participants further understood and mastered the management of POPs and plastic waste in relevant countries, as well as relevant regional and international developments, and laid a good foundation for the Asia-Pacific Center to carry out subsequent regional activities.