Source : industri.kontan.id
KONTAN.CO.ID - JAKARTA. The waste problem has become a big issue in Indonesia. The problem of waste, especially plastic, in Indonesia is a serious problem that affects the environment, public health and the sustainability of the ecosystem.
Many environmental activists believe that the use of single-use packaging, including gallons, is counterproductive to the spirit of reducing plastic waste globally and nationally. Surprisingly, promotion of the use of this packaging has actually become more massive.
"This massive campaign encouraging the use of single-use gallons is contradictory to the spirit of reducing plastic waste," said Walhi Urban Campaigner, Abdul Ghofar.
He emphasized that the use of single-use gallons should not be promoted massively and intensively. He continued, this would actually be contrary to the target of reducing the use of plastic as much as possible.
Data from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry's National Waste Management Information System (SIPSN KLHK) 2022 found that the amount of national waste stockpiled reached 21.1 million tonnes. This figure comes from 202 districts/cities throughout Indonesia.
Of the total national waste production, 13.9 million tons or 65.71 percent can be managed. Meanwhile, the remaining 7.2 million tonnes or 34.29 percent has not been managed properly.
In other data, it was found that there were 69 million tons of waste produced by Indonesian people throughout 2022. In detail, 18.2 percent or 12.5 million tons was plastic waste. Not a few of the millions of tons of plastic waste just end up in the sea.
The amount of plastic waste continues to increase every year. One of the contributors to the increase in the amount of plastic waste is the behavior of Indonesian people who often use single-use plastic.
These single-use plastics then become waste and can have negative effects on the environment if they enter water or soil. The use of single-use packaging, including gallons, has become a big problem that must be solved immediately.
Ghofar said that the figure for plastic waste that can be collected nationally has not yet reached 15 percent. Meanwhile, only 10 percent of plastic waste can be recycled. Meanwhile, the remaining 50 percent is not managed and ends up in final waste disposal sites (TPA).
Seeing these conditions, the increasingly massive use of single-use gallons will actually add to new problems. The more manufacturers produce single-use gallons, the more plastic waste will be collected.
The Ministry of Environment and Forestry also considers that the use of single-use gallons is a manufacturer's misinterpretation regarding the Minister of Environment and Forestry Regulation (Permen) Number 75 of 2019 concerning the Waste Reduction Roadmap. Especially those related to the provisions on the required minimum packaging size of one liter.
Head of Sub-Directorate for Producer Management at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Ujang Solihin Sidik, said that candy 75 was not made in the sense that the manufacturer produced single-use gallons. He explained that candy was made to avoid packaging that was too small so it was difficult to collect.
It has been proven that the disposable gallon size has become a problem for the community in managing their waste. The size is too large, making it confusing for people to collect their rubbish after the water inside has been consumed.
Urban Greenpeace Indonesia campaigner, Muharram Atha Rasyadi emphasized that single-use gallons will clearly become a new problem. He said that the use of single-use gallons is also not in line with the government's target of reducing marine waste by 70 percent by 2025.
He continued, the massive production of single-use plastic without corporate responsibility will actually make it difficult to achieve this target. He said that the industry should start improving how they can develop strategic plans to reduce their waste generation.
"Instead of increasing production of single-use product packaging. As long as it is in single-use packaging, our problems will certainly get bigger," he said.
Indonesian Center for Environmental Law (ICEL) researchers said that companies should translate regulation 75 in a more transformative way. This means that manufacturers must stop producing single-use plastic and switch to reusable packaging.
"This is to suppress the leakage of plastic into our environment, namely by suppressing the growth or consumption of single-use plastic," said ICEL researcher, Fajri Fadillah.
The Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) also regrets the existence of single-use gallons because it adds to environmental problems. Moreover, single-use plastic packaging is a burden on the earth because it is difficult to decompose.
"How come this is actually producing new single-use plastic materials. We don't support packaging products like that," said YLKI administrator, Sularsi.
According to Sularsi, the public cannot be obliged to be the party responsible for processing plastic waste generated by food packaging materials produced by the food industry. The industry should be responsible for recalling the single-use plastic packaging it produces.
The single-use gallon problem requires serious attention to realize a sustainable solution. With increased consumer awareness, government support and industrial innovation should be able to move in a more environmentally friendly direction and reduce the negative impact of single-use gallons on the Earth.
The results of the findings of the 2022-2023 Indonesian Plastic Waste Census (SSP) in 28 districts/cities in 13 provinces in Indonesia presented by the Indonesian River Affairs Research Agency (BRUIN) at a press conference in Surabaya, Thursday 11 January 2024, placed Mayora Indah as the parent company of single-use gallon AMDK as the number 5 plastic polluting company in Indonesia.
Meanwhile, positions one to four are occupied by a combination of various brands, followed by Wings, Unilever and Indofood.
Comments