South Korea and the Unites States have agreed to bolster cooperation in observing fine dust and managing marine litter.

According to the ministries of environment and foreign affairs on Wednesday, South Korea and the U.S. held meetings of the bilateral Environmental Affairs Council(EAC) and Environmental Cooperation Commission(ECC) in Washington on Monday and Tuesday.

The two sides went over the implementation of key environmental policies and discussed ways to pursue cooperation projects. The meetings were the third of their kind to be held. 

In particular, the two sides were said to have shared the goals of slashing plastic waste by half and raising plastic recycling rates up to 70 percent by 2030. 

During the ECC meeting, the participants agreed to work together so South Korea’s National Institute of Environmental Research and the U.S.’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration can conduct another round of air quality research between 2021 and 2023.