Garbage Bank- the Solution to an Environmental Problem

Garbage is one of the greatest problems in Jakarta. To help overcome the problem, Wahana Visi Indonesia worked with Indonesia Global Compact Network (IGCN) to launch Maju Bersama Garbage Bank in Penjaringan, North Jakarta, on March 8th.

Suranta, head of Penjaringan village, expressed his hope that the presence of the garbage bank will be able to change the face of the village.

A garbage bank focuses on managing household waste and turning the waste into organic fertilizer, as well as selling used items.

“If all villages in Jakarta do the same thing, Jakarta deserves to obtain the Adipura trophy,” says Suranta.

Adipura is a national level award that is given to cities that can find breakthrough in maintaining the cleanliness and resolving environment problems.

Wahana Visi Indonesia’s National Resources Department Director David Andre Ardhani expresses a similar hope, to create a new Jakarta as a cleaner city.

A garbage bank was once in operation in Penjaringan. It focused on managing household waste and turning the waste into organic fertilizer, as well as selling used things like plastic bottle, card board, and scrap iron. But the garbage bank did not run well.

Through lengthy discussions, the garbage bank is now being revitalized with the support of new technology in processing plastic garbage into plastic ore.

“I hope all neighborhoods in Penjaringan sub village will have garbage banks in the future, and that all of the community groups will be more active in managing garbage banks for their own good,” said Penjaringan sub district secretary Khalit 

* Written by Uran Fabianus, Senior Field Facilitator Wahana Visi Indonesia of Penjaringan office | Translated by Bartolomeus Marsudiharjo, Field Communicators World Vision Indonesia | Edited by Hendro Suwito, Senior Editor World Vision Indonesia