Utilization of Plastic Waste

Plastic bags in various places cannot be separated from industrial development. The industrial world explores the source of raw materials and makes them into a product that satisfies human needs. When natural resources are no longer able to meet growing demands, the industry turns to synthetic materials. Various industries in the world use plastic to package their products. The instant food and beverage industry, for example chooses aluminum foil-coated plastic or multilayer plastic as their packaging because it is considered safe and can keep the product fit and safe for consumption.

The amount of plastic we use produces abundant waste. Plastic is a material that is not easily decompose so it pollutes and damages soil and water ecosystems. Even if it can be burned, plastic can cause dioxin, which is a very toxic substance that causes cancer and can reduce a person's immune system because plastic comes from polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinylchloride (PVC) materials. Plastic waste is also one of the causes of blockage of river flow, hindering marine transportation because it often wraps around ship propellers, and even pollutes marine ecosystems in form of micro plastics which disrupt marine life. From several studies, in just 5 years, someone has consumed at least 3,650 pieces of plastic bags, especially when multiplied by the number of Indonesians that are more than 200 million people. According to Marpaung (2009), it is estimated that Jakarta itself can throw away plastic bags that can cover more than 200 football fields, another source states that 1,500 pieces of plastic waste are generated every second in Jakarta (Hermono, 2009).

The use of plastics in Indonesia keeps on increase. nowadays, the beverage industry in Indonesia is one of the fastest growing sectors. In the first quarter of 2019, the growth of the beverage processing industry reached 24.2% on an annual basis (YoY) only less than the apparel industry. Lots of of finishing production of beverage products use single-use plastic as packaging. These drinks can be easily found in various retail outlets, both modern and traditional. The very rapid growth of the beverage industry will of course result in an ever increasing number of plastic waste. Moreover, at this moment the capacity for processing plastic waste is still minimal.

According to data from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK), the total amount of waste in Indonesia in 2019 had reach 68 million tons, and plastic waste is estimated reached 9.52 million tons or 14 percent of the total waste. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry targets to reduce plastic waste by more than 1.9 million tons by 2019.

Based on this data, the increasing number of plastic waste will become a serious problem if a solution is not found. Handling plastic waste needs to be done with the 3R concept (Reuse, Reduce, Recycle). Reuse is to restore items made of plastic, Reduce is to decrease the purchase or use of plastic items, especially disposable items, and Recycle is the practice of sorting and collecting waste items made of plastic for new use. From the 3R concept, several studies have been carried out to reuse plastic that has been disposed of in the environment, in this case using the Recycle concept.

Considering the high energy content of plastic, it’s a potential use as an energy source has good prospects in the future. This can have two advantages at once, it is reducing the problem of plastic waste and also producing energy that can be used to reduce dependence on conventional energy sources. Several technologies can be used to convert plastic waste into fuel, including conversion to solid fuel, conversion to liquid fuel and conversion to gas fuel.

In several places in Indonesia, plastic waste is used as the main raw material of making Eco Pavings. Eco Pavings are paving blocks made of plastic waste as raw material. In fact, Eco Pavings requires a large amount of plastic waste. Each Eco Pavings requires about 1/2 kg of plastic bag waste. If 1 square meter uses 40 Eco Pavings, the product has removed 20 kg of plastic waste from the environment. Although it still has several disadvantages compared to ordinary paving blocks, the resulting environmental impact makes this product worthy of being a solution to reduce plastic waste.

There is also an option to recycle waste that can be used as a business. The waste recycling business has been going on for a long time and is a big business runs systematically. Even though it is profitable, not everyone is interested in getting into this business. To become a plastic recycling businessman, one needs to build a good waste collection system, collaborate with scavengers, have waste processing facilities, and get to know the market share of the plastic recycled products he already produces. Even though we still use plastic as the main raw material, the plastic waste creation business that the author offers is not as complex as the industrial plastic recycling business and this business can be done independently.

As a creative product, plastic waste creations have a promising commercial value. This product has a selling power that can generate profits. In general, this business is divided into two types, products and services. In the context of the plastic waste creation business, both types of businesses can be done. In the product side, this business produces things that are financially promising. In terms of services, business ideas and the resulting products can be packaged into profitable workshop or training. 

In terms of tourism, waste can be used as a tourist spot that is able to attract visitors to see creations from processed waste that have artistic value. For example, several places in Indonesia recycle plastic with a better output combined with today's modern concepts. In Yogyakarta, there is a waste processing facility which is used as an instagenic tourist attraction, named the Action Station. The landfill was converted by local residents into a garbage dump that has artistic value from processing plastic waste and is often visited by tourists which causes economic growth keep rising. 

This great idea can be used as a reference to make processed waste into an item that has high artistic value, such as a café where all the furniture is made of instagenic plastic material, then a recreational park where the game tools there are made from processed plastic waste.

This plastic waste creation activity can also become one of the community empowerment movements and expand employment opportunities, especially with the addition of education in the community, making the community aware of the importance of waste management to make the environment clean and safe as well as opening up the possibility of increasing community welfare.