Brilio.net/en - Garbage is an unending topic in Indonesia and an unrelenting problem. Every time the government tries a new solution, a new problem emerges. You can find piles of waste in every corner of the capital Jakarta, the most prominent example. This, one expertsays, is due to a lack of public awareness.
Bijaksana Raseno, the founder of Greenaration, says around 175,000 tons of waste are produced every day in Indonesia and that because so many people do not know about waste management, much of it is beingdumped into rivers or justburnt at the roadside.
"We've invited many people to make changes as Indonesia has entered a state of waste emergency," said Bijaksana.
Through Greenaration, Bijaksana is inviting people to manage their waste properly. Along with his team and in collaboration with the government's sanitation department, he gives counselling to schools.
"We cannot solve the garbage problems, but at least we can manage it well."
The organization that has been running for eight years and has had someimpact. Oneinitiative is the "plastic bag diet" movement. Together with other partners, for five years they have runcampaignsto reducethe use of plastic bags.
"It's actually a long-term effort. This scheme still needs to be improved."
Bijaksana says he hopes the public can become more aware of itsresponsibility towards waste management a responsibility that is clearly outlined in the regional government regulation.
But infrastructure and law enforcement will be the crucial factors.
"We can no longer let people dump their waste in the river and actually, there are two solutions according to the consititution."
"First, we can change people's culture of littering, and second is the waste managing by using 3R principles (Reuse Reduce Recycle)."
There have been some recent victories, like a mandatory surcharge on plastic bags at stores, but Indonesia has a long road ahead of it.
(brl/red)
