Indonesia Against Plastic Pollution

    Plastic waste in Indonesia reaches 5.4 million tons per year. The Indonesia Solid Waste Association (InSWA) asks people to use biodegredable plastics because the presence of plastics nowadays is very worrying. InSWA chairman Sri Bebassari said from time to time, the use of plastics has increased significantly futher away than the use of paper wrappers. "It takes hundreds, even thousands of years to decompose, so plastic is considered a very damaging material for the environment,". 

    Currently, based on statistical data on Indonesia's domestic solid waste, plastic waste is ranked a second place, it is about 5.4 million tons per year or 14% of total waste production. Meanwhile, data from the Jakarta Regional Environmental Management Agency (BPLHD) shows that the pile of garbage in the DKI Jakarta area reaches more than 6,000 tons per day and around 13% of it is plastic waste. Of all the existing trash, 57% were found on the beach is plastic waste. As many as 46 thousand tons of plastic waste float in every square mile of the ocean, even in the depth of the Pacific Ocean, plastic waste reaches almost 100 meters. At this moment, the average Indonesian produces waste 0.5 kg and 13% of it is plastic. Plastic waste ranks in third place with 3.6 tons per year or 9% of the total waste production. One of positive steps to reduce waste is through the 3R campaign, it is Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. But in general, the result of the campaign is not comparable with the growth of plastic use which continues to increase from day to day. "What we have to do now is not against plastics, but to find the right formula to accelerate the process of decomposing plastics so that they can return to nature." Besides that waste is also generated from households. Waste of plastics is a problem that is taken seriously for the environment, because plastic is a material that cannot be broken down by bacteria.

    Plastic waste can also kill marine animals. These creatures can become trapped in fishing nets or die of starvation after eating particles that their bodies cannot digest. Plastics that are starting to break down emit harmful chemicals and pollute the ocean, causing health risks to animals and can also effect the food chain and end up on our plates.

    In order to handle the waste problem, the Indonesian government has drawn up a national plan, especially in the sea. The plan includes bioplastic development, recycling, waste management into energy, and measures to strengthen the capacity of local governments for waste management.

    As a start, the plan is organized into five pillars, there are changing behavior, reducing waste production on land, reducing waste production at the sea, reducing waste production and use of it, and improving funding mechanisms, policy reforms, and law enforcement.

To show its seriousness, the government has committed to reducing waste in the oceans by 70 percent by 2025 and invest  US $ 1 billion in a waste management program.

    The government also collaborate with the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and the Ministry of Education and Culture (Kemendikbud) and develop a maritime curriculum application for handling plastic waste that threatens Indonesia's seas.

    The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) has also prepared various strategies to realize the 2025 target of free marine debris. One of the strategies is to ensure beach cleaning activities once a month.

    KKP's Director General of Marine Space Management, Brahmantya Satyamurti, stated that there are three main things that the KKP focuses on in the effort to clean up the coast. "The first is to keep plastic waste on land from ending up in the sea. Second, by emphasizing the recycling of plastic waste and third is changing the mindset of people not to littering and reducing single-use plastic consumption," he told VIVA some time ago.

    To support this effort, the KKP has budgeted Rp 10 billion last year. A total of Rp. 2.5 billion was used to buy 11 plastic chopper machines that were placed in 11 points and also to buy organic compost machines from water to be placed at 6 points.

    The rivers in Indonesia — Brantas, Bengawan Solo, Serayu, and Progo — are four of the 20 dirtiest rivers in the world. This fact is based on the count of metric tons of plastic waste that is not well managed. This condition makes Indonesia become the second largest marine pollutant from plastic waste in the world after China. A scientific article in Nature recently estimated that between 1.15 and 1.41 million tonnes of plastic from rivers enter the oceans each year. Of this amount, Indonesia is estimated to dump around 200,000 tonnes of plastic from rivers and streams, mainly in Java and Sumatra.

    In February 2016 the government tried to reduce plastic through a Rp. 200 paid plastic bag program, in collaboration with modern retailers. However, environmentalists regret the small price of this plastic. They also feel the need for transparency on how the funds collected are used. In October 2016, the Indonesian Retail Entrepreneurs Association (Aprindo) decided to stop the program because there was no legal policy for its implementation.

    Public awareness of the dangers waste is very important. However it is not enough to truly reduce a single-use plastics. To win the war on plastic waste, national and local governments must strengthen the legal framework. There should be definitions that can be used nationally to differentiate between different types of plastics. It needs to be clarity about responsibilities at each level of government and the creation of new norms, standards, procedures and criteria. The government must take a multilevel approach that involves affected communities who feel the impact of plastic waste live in precarious conditions on a daily basis and it needs fast treatment.

    As citizens, it is important for us to fully contribute to fight plastic waste pollution which has so far increased significantly every minute or second, here are the efforts that we can do to fight plastic waste pollution:

1. 1. Use the trash can to dispose of plastic water bottles, food containers and other plastic materials.
2. 2. Change our community mindset by conducting a free forum on "Stop consuming plastic-based items" and do not litter plastic waste in open spaces such as: beaches, sea, public places, waterways, and Other SDA.
3. 3. Hold solidarity group action to manage plastic waste by cleaning the surrounding environment from garbage, including plastic-based waste.
4. 4. Follow government regulations related to plastics management.