Indonesia: Do More to Stop the Towers of Plastic Waste Growing, Activists Urge Government

Fidelis E. Satriastanti Jakarta Globe 1 Oct 11;

The government needs to follow other countries’ examples and get Indonesia to kick its addiction to plastic bags.

That’s basically what environmental activists urged on Friday, stating that current initiatives have failed to reduce Indonesia’s use of plastic bags.

Muhammad Ali Akbar, fundraising coordinator for local environmental NGO Walhi, said the country needs to add a ministerial decree or a bylaw on technical requirements for the production and use of plastic bags to the 2009 Law on Environmental Protection and Management.

“The growing pile of plastic waste is unsightly and not easily degradable by microorganisms,” he said, adding that the “abuse” of plastic bags had to stop to avoid further environmental damage.

Jakarta produced about 6,000 tons of waste daily in 2010, according to the city’s sanitation office.

“That year alone, the amount of waste generated by Jakartans was more than 185 times the volume of Borobudur Temple, or 55,000 cubic meters,” Ali added.

After Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo began a campaign against plastic bags in February 2010, Jakarta’s chapter of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) signed an agreement with local administration to use fewer plastic bags at stores.

The Association of Indonesian Retailers (Aprindo) decided to help by promoting shopping bags made from recycled materials, and the Jakarta Sanitation Office, in collaboration with the Indonesia Solid Waste Association (InSWA), urged 40 large retailers in May to use plastic bags that are more environmentally friendly.

InSWA and the city government asked small and medium enterprises as well as local businesses to join the movement. As of September, 60 retailers were participating in the program, Sri Bebassari from InSWA said.

“We gave them rewards to motivate them,” she said.

Head of Jakarta’s Kadin, Edi Kuntadi, said his institution and the Jakarta government will evaluate the plastic bag campaign by the end of this year.

Meanwhile, the NGO Walhi is campaigning for a plastic bag diet, working in coordination with printer cartridge refill manufacturer Veneta System and celebrity Melanie Subono.

“Companies such as Veneta, which has 150 outlets nationwide, can help us spread the word about the environmental destruction caused by plastic,” Ali said.

This is Walhi’s first time collaborating with companies on one of its campaigns, Ali told the Jakarta Globe.

“We have been very picky and some people even considered us as ‘exclusive,’ but we realize that we need to reach a larger audience,” Ali said.

“Veneta is also required to commit itself in our campaign for a year and to introduce environmentally friendly practices in its business, including biodegradable plastic bags,” he said.

Additional reporting by Ulma Haryanto