Written by Asdinar Galuh, Sekolah Pantai Volunteer of Project Child Indonesia
National Waste Awareness Day or “Hari Peduli Sampah Nasional” was appointed at the first time in 2006 by the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry and commemorated in every 21st February. Indonesia has always been a waste emergency from year to year. This is growing concern that is capable of causing natural disasters and disease. Therefore, National Waste Awareness Day is great opportunity to take action for everyone in Indonesia. Through the small things and also realizing about how dangerous the waste is, with a real action has become the efforts to repair the damage that is happening on this earth.
It is considered more meaningful and more important than a million quotes and proverbs without an action. The words about caring for the waste will have no effect and meaning without tangible effort. Sekolah Pantai, one of the Program in Project Child Indonesia (PCI), take a real effort by joining clean-up at Pancer Door Beach in 29th February 2020. The event entitled “RISE ABOVE YOUR PLASTIC” presented by Pacitan Surf Club (PSC) that collaborated with organizations and community groups in Pacitan. PCI supported the event not only by joining the clean-up but also provides free drinking water and the organizer provides free tumbler for anyone who is thirsty during the event. They are allowed to take and to fill as much water as they wanted. A dark brown donation receptacle made of bamboo is also placed next to drinking water for the people who want to donate money to do virtue.
This event is followed by 22 kids of Sekolah Pantai, 10 parents and 14 PCI team members. The participants are not only from Sekolah Pantai, but also the people from another organization, the residents near the shore, the fishermen, even some foreign tourists. It can be seen from the faces of children who are very enthusiastic to intervene to clean the beach. They are eager to collect many kinds of rubbish and put them in white sacks. In addition, Sekolah Pantai also contributes to the campaign about the awareness and our concern keeping the environment out of the waste and to save our world from the damage. The materials for our campaign are made from rubbish and unused goods. Basically, the kids of Sekolah Pantai understand and care so much about the importance of protecting the environment. They also listen to explanations about the rubbish they had just cleaned while learning about the kinds of rubbish and how long it becomes degraded.
The presence of National Waste Awareness Day is meant to enable us to make a concerted effort to reduce waste. We should celebrate it, but it all depends on us. We don’t have to wait for a year to clean up our environment, do we? We can clean up our community every day. Because, keeping our neighborhood clean is definitely important. So, what are we waiting for? Just Do It. We all are responsible to save this world and to make it better for our future generations.
