Starting from May 2019, in Indonesia, Rethinking Plastic is set to complete by the end of October 2022, with the main agenda includes facilitating dialogues between the UE and some organizations in Indonesia regarding the circular economy, educating the public on how to improve management of plastic waste, promoting sustainable consumption and production for plastic and education to help reduce plastic waste leak to the sea.
There are seven pilot projects in several cities in Indonesia to study and determine practical approaches for the issues of plastic management, consumption and production.
Bina Karta Lestari Foundation (Bintari Foundation), an NGO established since 1986 located in Semarang, Central Java, participated in the Rethinking Project through various programs including public education for waste management system, disaster management, coastal area management, riverside area management and climate change impacts.
Bintari, along with stakeholders of the Rethinking Plastic project, helped the community in dealing with waste management issues, including to improve waste banks and disposal sites that are capable of reducing, reusing and recycling waste (TPS3R) in Semarang, the capital of Central Java.
Center for Southeast Asian Studies Indonesia initiated a program on how to improve the capacity of the waste management service operators in the local area and how to implement extended producer responsibility for some local producers. The program took place in Kendalpayak village, in Malang regent, East Java and involved 442 families to short out their organic and inorganic waste.
There is also Destructive Fishing Watch (DFW) Indonesia, which initiated a program to implement a clean fishing docks in a coastal dock in Tegalsari, Tegal, Central Java. During the project with Rethinking Plastic, DFW has involved more than 1.000 owners of small fishing ships (with capacities of more than 30 GT) and helped employ 14.953 people to assist cleanliness in the dock. The activities also help reduce fishermen to deal with organic and inorganic waste, as well as help collect plastic waste in the sea.
Another NGO participating in Rethinking Plastic in Indonesia is Greeneration Foundation Indonesia, which promoted Eco-Ranger initiative through a program called Fishing for Litter (FfL), which was held in Sumberagung village, Banyuwangi regent, East Java.
The FfL had goals to help improve the capacity of local fishermen and educate them about waste management issues. The EcoRanger team has collected up to 13.56 tons of waste in the coastal area in Sumberagung during September 2021 to February 2022.
Indonesian Plastic Bag Diet Movement, an NGO that has a vision to make Indonesia as a Plastic Bag Free country by encouraging people to be wiser in using single-use plastic bags, also took part in the Rethinking Plastic project. The NGO is targeting merchants Bandung, West Java and Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, through a program to reduce the use of single-use plastic bags.
Read: Microplastics Threatens Marine’s Life, Indonesia Needs to Push Transition Into a Circular Economy
Making Oceans Plastic Free (MOPF), an NGO that has a mission just like its name, which is making oceans plastic free, participated in the Rethinking Plastic project. Targeting Malang in East Java and Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, MOPF helped educate children through school about the importance of reducing plastic use and single-use plastic bags..
Misool Foundation, the registered charity arm of the private island resort, Misool, also participated in the project through a campaign #PlastikTaraAsik that involves 37 murals in Sorong, Papua and WTC beach in Raja Ampat, West Papua. Misool Foundation also made a collaboration to produce a documentary movie that educates about waste management issues. (des)