To combat the issue of massive trash mountains at Bantar Gebang landfill, adopting a reuse lifestyle and exploring plastic alternatives are practical solutions.
There have been photos of trash mountains as high as 40 meters or the equivalent of 16 stories at the Bantar Gebang landfill. Among the practical ways to tackle the problem is not only to use plastic substitutes, but also to adopt a reuse lifestyle.
Tiza Mafira, Executive Director, Gerakan Indonesia Plastic Bag Diet Movement (Gerakan Indonesia Diet Kantong Plastik – GIDKP) stated: “The use-spend-return principle is the basis for a reuse lifestyle. You may be familiar with the use of gallons of water that must be returned after use. Use-spend-return principles are then replicated in the way we consume other household products so that waste is minimal.”
RELEVANT SUSTAINABLE GOALS
“People living in Jakarta and its surrounding can now implement a reuse lifestyle even more easily. Thanks to the Jakarta Reuse Movement (Gerakan Guna Ulang Jakarta – GGUJ), an initiative to provide an ecosystem that supports reuse lifestyle. This reuse movement was launched last year and is quite popular among the younger generation in Jakarta, who seem to find the lifestyle convenient and affordable,” Tiza continued.
“People often perceive the reuse lifestyle as complex, complicated and even expensive. Public Figure and Plastic Bag Diet Ambassador Nadia Mulya has managed to break this stigma: “Now in Jakarta, many household vendors, cafes and restaurants provide reuse options. Daily household products, like cooking oil, spices, detergents, and dishwashing soap, are now available in reusable packaging. In most cases, I buy the product through an online store and the packaging is picked up for free when I’m done with it.”
GGUJ is a movement launched last year by GIDKP and Zero Waste Living Lab (ZWLL) Enviu to reduce single-use plastics (SUP) from daily products, which are still a significant problem from daily consumption, such as food packaging, household product packaging and plastics from online food delivery services. Enviu’s tech startups, Alner, ALLAS, and QYOS, develop solutions that support the reuse lifestyle that is in line with the Jakarta Sadar Sampah program, an initiative of the DKI Jakarta Environmental Service (Dinas Lingkungan Hidup Provinsi DKI Jakarta)
“Making the reuse lifestyle relevant to the residents of Jakarta means involving brands and products that are familiar to them. We’ve worked with global FMCG companies Wipro and Unilever to local brands like YAGI and Work Coffee to provide reusable packaging options to Jakarta consumers,” Darina Maulana, Indonesia Program Lead, Enviu, Zero Waste Living Lab, said.
Wipro, Unilever and YAGI work with Alner to provide a selection of products for home cleaning, body hygiene, and kitchen needs in reusable packaging, which are sold at more than 100 points and on e-commerce platforms. As these items are sourced directly from official distributors, they are of similar quality to those available on the market.
Work Coffee has partnered with ALLAS to deploy reusable containers for online food and beverage orders. As soon as the food and drinks are finished, the reusable packaging can be returned or picked up by Westbike Messenger Service couriers for free to support environmentally friendly initiatives further.
“Through GGUJ, Alner, ALLAS and QYOS have enabled the people of Jakarta to implement the principle of use-spend-return by supplying reusable packaging for household products, cleaning products, and food and beverage items. This shows that a reuse lifestyle is a real option. Regular monitoring of GGUJ will ensure its implementation is consistent and expanded to more areas around Jakarta by incorporating producers, retailers, and the general public,” Darina added.
“The reuse lifestyle generally produces fewer carbon emissions as it reduces the production of plastic from raw materials and recycling, while waste disposal is also eliminated. It is estimated that reusing plastic emits at least 50% more greenhouse gases than recycling it. The reuse of consumer packaging can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80% when standardization is implemented,” Tiza said.
ZWLL Enviu Startups Provides Solutions For The Reuse Lifestyles
Alner is a tech-enabled startup that provides reusable packaging systems for consumer goods. Alner, formerly Koinpack, sells daily necessities in reusable packaging at over 100 points, including at several waste banks. Alner’s reusable packaging has replaced more than 349,000 single-use containers.
ALLAS provides reusable packaging solutions for F&B orders online. Currently working with 24 F&B vendors, 5,000 disposable food packages have been replaced with Allas circular food packaging.
QYOS is a tech-based startup that provides automatic refill stations for household products. The stations are located in shops near housing complexes. A plastic-free refill solution. QYOS successfully partnered with four FMCG groups in providing 11 household auto-refill machines. QYOS prevents the accumulation of 100 kg of plastic waste.
ABOUT GERAKAN INDONESIA DIET KANTONG PLASTIK
The Indonesian Plastic Bag Diet Movement (GIDKP) is a non-profit organization which has received various awards for its efforts to create a single-use, plastic-free Indonesia. Through advocacy, collaboration and education, GIDKP has succeeded in encouraging more than 70 cities/districts to ban the use of single-use plastics. In 2016, together with the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, GIDKP initiated the “Kantong Plastik Tidak Gratis” (#Pay4Plastic) movement across Indonesia. Up to 55% of plastic bags were reduced as a result of this movement. GIDKP has received several awards, including the Mental Revolution Award from the Government of Indonesia in 2019 and the United Nations Ocean Hero award from 2018. GIDKP’s activities were also featured in two documentaries, including an Emmy Award- winning film, The Story of Plastic (2019), and Pulau Plastik (2021).
ABOUT ZERO WASTE LIVING LAB BY ENVIU
Zero Waste Living Lab is a program from Enviu, a startup studio that develops consumer-driven solutions that desirable, and viable in the market with local entrepreneurs and venture builders. Because scalability and replication are connected in their DNA, the venture that ZWLL is building is designed to make an exponential impact on reducing plastic waste upstream. Founded in 2019, we launched seven businesses that had an immediate impact and pushing the Indonesian market towards zero-use plastic waste, from the source.
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