Individuals or businesses emit wastewater or dump debris directly into rivers, causing water pollution or accumulation of debris, undermining flow of water, flood discharge, ecology and water quality of the rivers, and even the environment and ecology which the general public is a part of. The debris eventually flows into the seas along with rivers, causing marine pollution.

The Ministry of Environment (MOENV), former EPA, dedicated to the reduction of marine debris, has promoted a vision of "Plastic Free Ocean" and formed Marine Debris Governance Platform jointly with NGOs in 2017. The alliance proposed Action Plan of Marine Debris Governance in Taiwan in 2018, by which MOENV planned to manage "debris containment and disposal in surface water bodies around the country" to prevent "land-based debris from entering into the seas."

To achieve the goal that "no land-based debris enters into the seas," the MOENV encourages all water body managing departments to go online and report the amount of water-borne debris contained since 2019.