UI: Plastic Waste Management Is The Responsibility Of All Stakeholders

JAKARTA - Director of the University of Indonesia (UI) Center for Sustainability and Waste Management (CSWM) Prof M Chalid provides education to the public about the dangers of plastic waste.

"The development of plastic waste is the responsibility of all stakeholders, both in terms of industry, policy makers, and the public as consumers of the products produced," said Prof M Chalid, ANTARA, Sunday, May 19.

Prof. Chalid who is also the Chairman of the Indonesian Polymer Association (HPI) said research related to waste management needs to be done so that waste management can be carried out appropriately.

Research related to plastic waste was carried out by CSWM UI together with the Net Zero Waste Management Consortium and the Ciliwung Care Community. Meanwhile, Environmental Engineering Lecturer FTUI Astryd Viandila Dahlan and representatives of the Indonesian Olefin, Aromatic, and Plastic Industry (INAPLAS) Fajar Budiono explained the results of a study on the types and forms of waste in the Ciliwung River.

According to Astryd, this river was chosen because it is a water source for the community, but is polluted by solid waste (garbage) or domestic liquid waste.

"This research is the first step. Therefore, further research will be carried out, especially regarding the results of the analysis of the waste segmentation based on the producer," said Astryd.

In the study, waste for research samples were taken from several locations including Katulampa Dam, Sukahati, Panus Bridge, Manggarai Sluice Gate, Muara Angke Sluice Gate, and Ancol Water Gate.

Of the six locations, 32,364 wastes were collected categorized in ten types, seven of which were polymer materials in the form of fabrics, rubber, wood, paper, metal, plastic, andMINAl.

From the whole, waste made from plastic, cloth, anddiagons dominate. Plastic waste is found in various points, both intact and debris, with a total of 19,466 pieces or 67.88 percent of all the waste collected and sorted. As for the packaged waste and plastic sachets that were successfully sorted, each reached 3,974 and 3,324 garbage or about 13 percent and 11 percent.

Meanwhile, protective waste and cloth amounted to 3.9 percent, waste waste B3 1.7 percent, and wood waste 0.6 percent.

Fajar Budiyono from INAPLAS said that waste management in Indonesia is still carried out by being transported and stockpiled (68 percent), buried (9 percent), recycled (6 percent), burned (5 percent), and even not managed (7 percent). Organic waste has the most percentage in Indonesia which reaches 60 percent.

While other types of waste such as metal, rubber, cloth, and glass are 17 percent, paper waste is 9 percent, and plastic waste is 14 percent.

To control the consumption of goods that have a negative impact on the environment, the government has implemented a plastic excise rule.

Conventional plastics are subject to excise duty of Rp. 30,000/kg. Plastics with a prodegradandant content are subject to 50 percent excise tariff, while biogedradable plastic is not subject to excise rates.

He said the determination of plastic excise is an effort to suppress the use of plastic, especially by industry players. This is because there are types of plastic that cannot be recycled, such as plastics with a prodegradant content. Even in some countries, the use of this plastic has been banned.

The findings of this study are expected to raise awareness for producers and consumers so that they can process the waste produced, so that it does not cause ongoing problems.