Written by Graciella Ganadhi, Content Writer Project Child Indonesia
Do you know that Indonesia is second place in terms of the world’s plastic waste producers? After China, we produce at least 25.000 tons of plastic waste every single day. All of that plastic is undeniably going to end up in rivers or coastal waters. 15 percent of plastic that pollutes the world’s oceans comes from Indonesia.
Plastic has become a modern-day Indonesian enemy. In March 2019, the soldiers of the Indonesian army had to clean up the piling plastic in Bandung’s river. The crisis is so severe that not only rivers but also beaches are also affected. Sanur Beach, Bali is one of the examples of this ever-growing pandemic. Tourists who visited the beach to enjoy the view are going to be welcomed with the smell of rotting plastic waste surrounding the area. Not only will this damage the environment, but this issue will also indefinitely damage our economy as well.
Fortunately, the Indonesian government is fighting back. However, the fight cannot be one-sided. As Indonesian citizens, we must join in on government initiatives. Understandably, our life has become more comfortable with the help of single-use plastic. However, making small changes in our life, such as reducing and reusing plastic, will help reduce our contribution to the world’s plastic invasion. If you shop, for example, start bringing your own reusable bags. If you eat out in places that use single-use plastic, bring your own utensils. Bring your own tumbler when you buy drinks, such as boba tea or coffee. It might seem too complicated and time-consuming, but imagine the impact it will bring. If you drink out of a plastic cup at least three times a week, if you start using a reusable cup, you reduce the use of plastic cups 3 times a week, which adds up to at least 156 cups per year! People say that it’s useless if only one person makes the change, but they never calculate how much a single person contributes to producing plastic waste. Now imagine if everyone starts doing so, imagine the changes that we will see as a generation.
If you reduce the use of plastic little by little each day, the turtles, jellyfishes, and octopuses on those environmental videos don’t have to suffer because of your waste.
Start small and make big changes in the future of our planet.
References:
- https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/03/indonesia-has-a-plan-to-deal-with-its-plastic-waste-problem/. (Accessed on 28 February 2020 at 14.41)
- https://www.thejakartapost.com/academia/2019/03/01/the-waste-challenge-is-indonesia-at-a-tipping-point-1551431355.html. (Accessed on 28 February 2020 at 14.41)
