Tegal, September 18 2023 - After carrying out socialization activities for the "Tegal Towards Waste-free City" program in August 2023, this time, Let's Do Recycling! Program (in Indonesia: YYADU!) together with the Tegal City through the Environmental Service carried out the activity 'Innovation in Reducing and Handling Waste in the Community Towards a Waste-Free Tegal' which was also related to the commemoration of the World Clean-up Day.
Held at the Khas Tegal Hotel, this activity was enlivened by enthusiasm from 17 sub-districts in Tegal City. Presenting 3 representatives, each sub-district was given a challenge to independently complete a recycling innovation from the waste they brought in within two hours. The innovation results were assessed directly by the jury, including three representatives from the Tegal City Environmental Service, waste activists and recyclers from Runtah Tegal Laka-laka (Rutela), as well as Hanggara Sukandar as the President Director of PT Trinseo Materials Indonesia and one of the YYADU! program initiators.
"I am very grateful for the enthusiasm of each sub-district who attended this morning and provide their best recycling innovations. I hope that this activity can be an encouragement for all Tegal people to continue to put forward the waste management and recycling activities," said Hanggara.
Towards the end of the year, the waste problem in Indonesia is starting to increase in line with increasingly complex community activities, including in the city of Tegal which of course causes an increase in waste generation. High population income is also one of the causes of high public consumption. On the other hand, land to accommodate the high remaining consumption is increasingly limited.
"The Tegal city government is committed to the waste problem, especially with the very limited landfill for final disposal. We have to change the flow of waste management from collecting, transporting, throwing to landfill to collecting, processing, turning into rupiah," explained Dra. Nany Lestari, M.M., the Head of Tegal City Environmental Agency.
In practice, Tegal faces various challenges, ranging from disseminating information and conducting outreach to educating the community about waste management and recycling. Collaboration between multiple stakeholders, including the public, private sector, academia, government, and media outlets, is imperative to fulfill their respective roles and functions. Hence, the YYADU! program aims to foster engagement among stakeholders and work toward a shared goal: waste recycling to promote a circular economy.
"We conduct outreach and education to tap into the community's recycling potential. By empowering the community, we envision a future where waste is managed at its source, with households sorting and processing their waste. Today's event exemplifies the tremendous potential of Tegal residents in recycling their waste. Moreover, the information dissemination effort needs to be ongoing to encourage greater participation," concluded Nany Lestari.
Waste recycling initiatives are multifaceted and require sustained efforts. However, these efforts should commence with the most basic step, which is waste sorting. Transforming waste, especially plastic waste, into products with resale value represents a significant stride in reducing waste generation.
"If we persist with these simple steps, I am confident they will lead to substantial changes. Currently, our focus may be on turning waste into skills, but the habit of managing waste should be nurtured continuously, preparing us for a future where machines or recycling facilities can convert plastic waste back into raw materials. Let's keep this commendable habit alive," concluded Hanggara Sukandar.
