Current:Home > reviewsIndonesia’s youth clean up trash from waterways, but more permanent solutions are still elusive -AssetScope
Indonesia’s youth clean up trash from waterways, but more permanent solutions are still elusive
View
Date:2025-04-18 15:20:50
BOGOR, Indonesia (AP) — At a lake in the West Javan city of Bogor, children and teenagers paddle toward piles of floating trash, pick it up and store it in their kayaks, before passing it to friends sorting it onshore.
The group of around 20 youngsters started off as a team of one, a decade ago, when Giri Marhara decided to start cleaning up the lake. He was just 16 years old at the time, and already had a penchant for wanting to clean up his environment — from his classroom to his neighborhood.
Young people like Marhara have been at the forefront of environmental and climate change movements in recent years: initiatives like school strikes for climate action, protests at United Nations climate talks and around the world, and local clean ups have often been youth-led. When it comes to waste picking, experts say it’s a stop-gap solution, and the larger problem of creating too much waste needs to be addressed. But the relatively small-scale efforts in Indonesia have resonated with younger people, attracting support and attention.
Environmental activist Giri Marhara picks up trash while paddling a kayak at Setu Gede lake in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
“For me, cleaning up is catharsis, cleaning up is refreshing,” said Marhara, who would often be asked by children playing nearby if they could help with the clean ups. “I don’t want to miss the opportunity to educate kids that this is something that’s positive, something that you should probably try making a habit too,” Marhara said, so he encouraged them to help.
They formed a group last year, called the Situ Gede Cleanliness Warrior, named after the lake. They paddle or kayak across the lake, pick up trash, and identify what can be recycled. A local kayaking group lend their boats to Marhara’s initiative, and members take turns between paddling across the lake or sorting trash shoreside into what can recycled or reused and what will need to be disposed.
Over 10 years, Marhara and his friends have collected more than 2,700 kilograms (5,900 pounds) of trash in and around the Situ Gede lake through various initiatives.
Members of the group Situ Gede Cleanliness Warrior pick up trash at Setu Gede lake in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
Environmental activist Giri Marhara talks to members of the Situ Gede Cleanliness Warrior before they pick up trash at Setu Gede lake in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
But the country’s trash problem is far bigger than what the group can take out of waterways.
Indonesia produced more than 35 million tons of waste last year, according to Indonesia’s Environmental and Forestry Ministry. It estimates that 35% of waste in the country is unmanaged. Garbage on roadsides, in waterways and natural environments is a common sight.
Waste is also responsible for around 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the World Resources Institute. Much of that comes from food waste, that, if left to decompose in landfills, can emit methane, a planet-warming gas that is around 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide in the short term.
Environmental activists of Situ Gede Cleanliness Warrior pick up trash at Setu Gede lake in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
The trash problem has also raised health concerns: Plastic waste, for example, gets broken down into tiny pieces called microplastics, which can enter the human body. Some studies suggest it can impact the endocrine, nervous and immune systems, and can carry an increased risk of cancers.
“The implications are very serious and need to be addressed,” said Abdul Ghofar, an urban and pollution specialist at The Indonesian Forum for the Environment. “There are environmental losses, as well as the health losses, and of course there are economic losses” because of the cost of restoring environments.
Environmental activist Giri Marhara prepares to pick up trash at Setu Gede lake in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
There are alternatives to landfill or littering for some waste products: food waste can be composted, and some other types of waste, like certain types of plastic, can be reused or recycled. But environmentalists also say the world needs to make less waste in the first place, as much of it ends up in landfill or in the world’s oceans.
“We should be encouraged to find out where the source of the pollution comes from and how to stop it,” said Ghofar. “The term among environmentalist is to close the tap, or turn off the tap. This pollution will never end if the source of the pollution is not closed.”
But as waste taps stay on, youth-led clean ups can still make an impact, even if it’s just for small areas or communities. It’s something Trisna Rengganis has witnessed in his neighborhood in Depok, on the outskirts of Jakarta.
Environmental activists of Situ Gede Cleanliness Warrior cheer after picking up trash at Setu Gede lake in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
Environmental activists of Situ Gede Cleanliness Warrior cheer after they pick up trash at Setu Gede lake in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
The group Ciliwung Depok Community works with neighborhoods around greater Jakarta on conservation efforts like cleaning up rivers and riverbanks.
Rengganis, who volunteers with the group, said that there’s a stigma toward those who say the Ciliwung river has a trash problem, even though many residents throw garbage into the water and there’s no good waste management system in the area.
But since the cleanup efforts, children from nearby areas have started to visit and play by the river again, a rare sight in the big city, Rengganis said. Seeing children back at Ciliwung’s banks reminds him of his childhood, he said.
“They feel comfortable and safe,” at the river, Rengganis said. “I hope, on other sides of Ciliwung — the upstream or the downstream areas — they can do the same thing.”
A women walks at Situ Gede lake in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
Rengganis hopes the momentum to clean up the river and address the region’s trash problem continues, so that future generations can also enjoy the area.
Marhara believes that kind of lasting change will need a culture shift that will persist even if waste production is curtailed.
“I am trying to counter the behavior that is causing trash to be out there in the environment,” he said, saying the country has a “littering culture.”
“I think that the only way to counter that culture is by developing a counterculture,” a clean up culture, he said.
___
Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
veryGood! (33)
Related
- The Daily Money: Spending more on holiday travel?
- 'Miracle house' owner hopes it will serve as a base for rebuilding Lahaina
- Radio announcer Suzyn Waldman fed up with 'boring,' punchless Yankees
- When does 'The Morning Show' Season 3 come out? Release date, cast, trailer
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- Devastating losses: Economic toll from fires in Maui at least $4B, according to Moody's
- Drug cartels are sharply increasing use of bomb-dropping drones, Mexican army says
- Jim Harbaugh announces Michigan football coaching plan during his suspension
- Costco membership growth 'robust,' even amid fee increase: What to know about earnings release
- Swimmable cities a climate solution? Amid scorching heat, cities rethink access to waterways
Ranking
- Bet365 ordered to refund $519K to customers who it paid less than they were entitled on sports bets
- Bryan Kohberger's trial is postponed after Idaho student stabbings suspect waives right to speedy trial
- Skincare is dewy diet culture; plus, how to have the Fat Talk
- Heidi Klum cheers on Golden Buzzer singer Lavender Darcangelo on 'AGT': 'I am so happy'
- USA men's volleyball mourns chance at gold after losing 5-set thriller, will go for bronze
- Reneé Rapp says she was body-shamed as the star of Broadway's 'Mean Girls'
- AP WAS THERE: A 1953 CIA-led coup in Iran topples prime minister, cements shah’s power
- A retired Wyoming bishop cleared by Vatican of sexual abuse despite local findings has died at 91
Recommendation
'As foretold in the prophecy': Elon Musk and internet react as Tesla stock hits $420 all
49ers to explore options on Trey Lance after naming Sam Darnold backup to Brock Purdy, per report
San Antonio shooter wounds 2 officers during car pursuit, police say
For Trump, X marks the spot for his social media return. Why that could really matter
Head of the Federal Aviation Administration to resign, allowing Trump to pick his successor
4 arrested in twin newborn Amber Alert case in Michigan; many questions remain unanswered
When does 'The Morning Show' Season 3 come out? Release date, cast, trailer
Weekly news quiz: From mug shots and debate insults to meme dogs and a giraffe baby