Piles of waste in landfills across the globe are getting out of hand. Wherever we go, be it residential areas, business districts, commercial hotspots and so on, responsible waste management starts from each one of us.
The urgency to educate the public on responsible waste management can be tricky. Did you know that approximately 64 million tonnes of waste are recorded every year in Indonesia? The Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry in 2015 found that 69 percent of waste ended up in landfills, more than 20 percent was illegally managed, and only 7 percent was composted or recycled.
One of the reasons for waste being neglected in landfills and the environment, based on Statistics Indonesia in 2014, is that 81 percent of people still mix their waste, 10 percent have managed to segregate different types of waste which however eventually get mixed up again by the waste collectors, and only 9 percent segregate waste which is recovered.
Habit and behaviour changes in waste segregation need to be emphasised. The public needs to understand the significance of this issue in impacting our environment. On the other hand, the waste management operator needs to consistently innovate to provide services in a more responsible way, such as enabling segregation and maximising waste recovery. Government and/or regulator involvements are also needed, for stronger law enforcement and a clear financial scheme in this industry.
Founder and CEO of Waste4Change Mohamad Bijaksana Junerosano comprehends how undoubtedly waste management is a complex issue in Indonesia. “As a developing country, we often do not think far ahead into what we produce, and what ends up in the life cycle. The role of each stakeholder can have a significant impact on society, the economy and ultimately the environment,” he said.
Ethical and responsible waste management solutions towards zero waste in Indonesia are believed to be doable, especially in this day and age. Founded in 2014, Waste4Change (PT Wasteforchange Alam Indonesia) is a socially-based environmental enterprise that offers waste management services by shifting the waste management ecosystem to be more responsible, collaborative, and innovative by means of technology.
Waste management services provided are from upstream to downstream, with a mission to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills and the environment. The four main lines of services by Waste4Change are:
- Consult: research and study related to solid waste
- Campaign: capacity building, education, and assistance
- Collect: daily waste collection with a segregation system and waste journey report
- Create: waste composting, recycling and EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) program
This enterprise now offers an outstanding service in the form of their Responsible Waste Management service (w4c.id/RWM). This service, either carrying out daily waste pick up or as per the agreement, intends to reduce the amount of waste on those towering landfills. But this is also Waste4Change’s effort to provide its clients with segregated waste bins, segregated waste collection, technical induction training for staff or residents, and waste journey reports. All organic and inorganic wastes are collected responsibly with a 100 percent holistic approach to reduce the amount of waste reaching the landfill, increase staff awareness of waste issues, and add sustainable and environmentally-friendly value to the client’s brand image.
What flows within this service?
- Waste segregation at source (maximum four categories) by the client
- Waste storage at the transfer point
- Segregated waste collection
- Waste pre-processing and detailed sorting in W4C’S Material Recovery Facility (MRF)
- Waste recovery where organic waste is composted, while recyclable waste is recycled; then the residue which has been minimised is sent to the landfill.
But if you have a corporation or you seek to become part of this strong movement, there are services catering to your preferences. Keep in mind the amount of waste being managed.
“Strategic planning always takes priority in realising the vision to establish a circular economy. Through our Consult and Campaign services, we believe we can give a better perspective and recommendations, and change society’s behaviour towards more ethical and responsible waste management in Indonesia,” the CEO added.
Corporations
Consult is a service which tackles solid waste management research (w4c.id/SWMR) and community development. Then comes training (w4c.id/AKABIS) within the Campaign service. The Collect service in restaurants, shopping centres, hotels and other commercial areas is through the Responsible Waste Management program mentioned earlier. Last but not least, the Create service takes place in the Extended Producer Responsibility program (w4c.id/EPR).
Every stakeholder has different needs. For example, if you want your company to be responsible for its waste, you can choose Responsible Waste Management that will pick up and manage your waste responsibly from the main office. Most of all, corporations tend to get a greater variety of services.
Individuals
Meanwhile, individuals are provided with two services: the Collect service through Home Responsible Waste Management (w4c.id/PWM) and sending the collected waste (w4c.id/SYW), as well as the Product service which involves composting the wastes into products and black soldier flies (w4c.id/rumahkompos).
New Normal in Waste Management
Resolving the waste issue while also facing the COVID-19 pandemic has certainly brought changes. Routines at Waste4Change have changed. Consultation and campaign events and programs are conducted virtually, with the postponement of some such as Akademi Bijak Sampah, Event Waste Management, and Dropbox.
In terms of the amount of waste, however, this has decreased noticeably as most clients are restaurants, retailers, and offices.
While activities at these spots have lessened, households have become a new market segment. Accordingly, Personal Waste Management was established in May 2020. Now waste collection at individual houses is available through this service.
Are you excited to learn more and dive into Responsible Waste Management? The service is now available in Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, Bekasi, Bandung, Semarang, Surabaya, Sidoarjo, and Medan.
Get to know more about Responsible Waste Management for your businesses and contact the team at w4c.id/RWM. Send an email to [email protected], following waste4change on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter, or visit waste4change.com for more details.