Recycling waste creates jobs, income

A bank is usually thought of as a place to save or borrow money, but in Badegan village, Yogyakarta, it is a place to deposit garbage.

This outlet has helped villagers earn money whenever they "save" trash, while the neighborhood becomes cleaner and free of foul odors.

Three times a week (every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 4 to 9 p.m.) dozens of housewives bring their garbage to the bank.

Staff weigh and record their trash deposits, which is then sold on a monthly basis to trash collectors.

The proceeds from this exercise are then transferred to the customers' accounts.

The bank, which is probably the first of its kind in Indonesia, is called Gemah Ripah -- an Indonesian acronym meaning a movement to separate and reuse trash.

In the wake of the 2006 earthquake in Yogyakarta, garbage disposal was a serious problem in the village, said Bambang Suwarda, one of the founders of Gemah Ripah.

At that time, household rubbish was found everywhere, as many garbage dumps were ruined during the earthquake.

And since the quake destroyed household utensils and cooking equipment, residents opted for cheap disposable styrofoam plates and bowls, which added up to create a massive waste problem.

"Styrofoam trash just piled up," Bambang said.

"If buried, the material will not decompose for centuries, and if it is burned it produces poisonous dioxin which damages our respiratory system."

After a series of discussions between community figures and youth leaders, residents agreed in February 2008 to set up an environmental health workshop.

The workshop, which aimed to address the garbage problem in Badegan, was divided into three divisions; Gemah Ripah trash bank, styrofoam trash recycling and plastic trash recycling.

Housewives can now separate reusable trash from rubbish, and deposit it in the bank.

From such deposits, a households can earn between Rp 10,000 (US$1.10) and 50,000, depending on how often deposits are made.

"I can use this for my children's pocket money or to pay for food," said Triyanti when depositing her household waste.

This time, however, Triyanti has a bigger plan in mind: To raise extra money for the Idul Fitri holiday celebrations.

"I need money to buy clothes for my children," said the mother of two.

Triyanti is just one of the villagers who has benefited from the program. Now villagers can benefit from trash which they once considered useless.

Currently, of the 480 families in Badegan's 12 neighborhood associations, 30 housewives are active customers of the bank.

In an effort to involve more residents, in September the trash bank plans to open branches in each neighborhood association.

"We currently only have one trash bank to serve the whole community, so villagers who live far from the bank are not covered. With more branches, more residents can use the banks."

Bambang believes the banks will become more popular -- as seen in villagers' enthusiasm at creating a cleaner environment and earning additional income.

So far, distance is the only problem.

"At present, the bank's turnover has reached around Rp 500,000 from 30 customers. If 80 percent of the village community join up, the village will earn millions of rupiah and will be able to finance community needs," Bambang said.

The Badegan environment health workshop also has a department which manages the recycling of styrofoam trash. Contributions were collected to pay for a styrofoam shredding machine. Shredded styrofoam can be mixed with cement and sand to make various strong ceramic products.

"Many people are interested in this recycling work because on average we produce around 50 ceramic pieces of different shapes each month," recycling coordinator Agus Sugianto said.

The styrofoam recycling plant has also created job opportunities for at least 12 residents with an increasing demand for the ceramic products it makes.

Styrofoam ceramics are cheaper and lighter than conventional ceramics. For example, a styrofoam ceramic flag-pole stand weighing 20 kg sells for Rp 50,000, while the same product made of cement and sand alone (weighing 30 kg) costs Rp 70,000.

Some housewives from the family welfare group (PKK) have also worked with the environmental health workshop to recycle plastics.

Pieces of plastic trash from used coffee, food and beverage packages are sewn together and turned into various handicrafts, ranging from cell phone purses, to wallets and handbags.

These products are then sold at neighborhood gatherings such as arisan (a lottery based rotary savings group).

"There has been a growing interest in these products," said Ismiyati, who coordinates plastic recycling.

Owing to a limited number of sewing machines, however, only 10 members are active in recycling plastic -- producing some 50 products a month priced between Rp 5,000 and 45,000 and marketed as far away as Palu in Central Sulawesi.

All proceeds from the bank and recycling process are subject to a 5 percent tax which goes to the village treasury.

"One thing is for sure: We need to keep promoting these efforts to help maintain the cleanliness of our environment."  Slamet Susanto

Post Date : 20 Agustus 2008