Garbage Bank, Solution to Environment Problem in Siantan Tengah

Wahana Bersama garbage bank, part of Cahaya Maju Self Help Group, has creative ways to solve environment problems in Siantan Tengah. Members of the garbage bank consistently advocate people to stop defecating in the river and throwing garbage everywhere. After being changed into beautiful handicraft, the garbage has economic value.

It seems that clean and healthy lifestyle has not become a habit for some of Indonesian people. Many people throw garbage everywhere, including throwing household waste to the river. Many families living near a river don’t have toilets and they use the river as their toilet. They are apathetic about contaminating the river even though they know that many people use river water to take a bath, to clean their clothes and to cook.

In general, only 44.71 per cent of families in West Kalimantan Province apply clean and healthy lifestyle in 2009. Pontianak City is one of cities or districts in West Kalimantan that achieves below the provincial average. The national target is that 80 per cent of families apply clean and healthy lifestyle.

Wahana Visi Indonesia works with Cahaya Maju self help group (SHG) in Siantan Tengah, in North Pontianak, Pontianak City, West Kalimantan Province, to encourage people to have clean and healthy lifestyle. Wahana Visi Indonesia is a special partner of World Vision Indonesia.

During a SHG meeting, a member suggests that the group led by Hazizah ,43, establish garbage bank to help overcome the environment problem. Other member suggests the SHG advocate people to end the habit of defecating in the river. The garbage bank is later named Wahana Bersama.

As many people use river water, people’s habit to throw garbage and defecate in the river contributes to the increase of skin disease and diarrhea in the village.

A clinic in urban Pontianak, near a neighborhood where its people consume river water reports that five to 10 patients have skin fungus causing white blotches, suffer from skin itches and other skin infection.

According to the data of health office in Pontianak City in 2009, 41.6 per cent of families do not have healthy toilet. That figure reflects how high the diarrhoea cases in the area.

Malaria and dengue are two other diseases threatening people live in the brink of dirty rivers in Pontianak City. In 2009, 28.25 out of 1,000 people suffered from malaria. Meanwhile, 9,710 people in West Kalimantan including in Pontianak City suffered from dengue.

The garbage bank members create creative ways to stop people from throwing garbage and defecating in the river.

They do simulations to show how disgusting it is to consume river water. In advocacy sessions in neighborhood meetings, the garbage bank members bring clay and shape it so that it resembles people’s feces. They also bring two glasses containing drinking water.

“One of us puts a piece of hair that was previously touched the clay into the first glass. Later, she asks one attendant to drink the water in the glass,” says Hazizah.

As many people would think, the attendant refuses to drink the water, because she thinks that the water was contaminated with feces.

“Why are you not disgusted to consume river water?” says Hazizah, imitating garbage bank members who led the advocacy session.

That creative and repeated advocacy in the neighborhood meetings have proved to be a successful way to stop people defecating in the river.

Garbage bank members also encourage people to stop people throwing garbage everywhere and agree to buy the garbage. The garbage bank buys garbage from the community people to create valuable handicrafts.

They encourage people to separate kinds of garbage. Organic garbage is processed into organic fertilizer while inorganic garbage is processed into beautiful handicraft.

“Plastic straw will pollute environment if it is thrown everywhere. If made into handicraft, it will be useful,” says Hazizah.

The garbage that is mostly found in Siantan Tengah is plastic bag. Garbage bank members change it into nice pin and sell it 5,000 rupiahs (0.5 US dollars) per piece.

“It is easily made. We can also make it quickly,” says Hajizah.

In a training, garbage bank members get skills to produce handicraft from garbage. Wahana Visi Indonesia brings experienced and skillful trainers to teach them. Only practicing for three days, they master the very useful skill.

“From the 17 people joining the training, six people are successful to master the skill and they are willing to share their skill to other people in their neighborhood,” says Hazizah.

With the new skill, garbage bank members are able to produce valuable things from plastic straws, instant noodle containesr, liquid soap containers, used plastic bottles and more.

The handicrafts are sold during exhibitions or are sold based on orders.

“When we exhibit our product in Pontianak Trade Center, we manage to sell 800,000 rupiahs (81 US dollars) of our products,” says Hazizah.

Besides selling handicraft, the garbage bank also sells inorganic fertiliser.

“Local government once orders one ton of inorganic fertilizer, but we only manage to sell 100 kilogram,” says Hazizah.

Recently Wahana Bersama garbage bank got a new building from City Public Work office. This building will be used as the garbage bank office and shop.

Many sides put their hope on the presence of Wahana Bersama as a solution to the environment problem in Siantan Tengah and support that Wahana Bersama can realise this hope. Besides giving new building, City Public Work office also donated a tossa motorcycle to transport garbage.

Meanwile, the Provincial Public Work office provided an organic garbage destroyer and garbage container.

The garbage bank helps sell community people products, with 10 per cent of the selling value is for the garbage bank.

At the moment, garbage bank has more than 90 customers who will supply garbage. In each customer house, the bank places three bags for used plastic bottle, used paper, used cardboard. The bank staff will take the garbage once for every three days.

“Hopefully we can spread what we do to others. If all people do like what we do, our environment will be clean,” Hazizah says.

With the broader experience of the garbage bank members, they do not only have capacity to share to their neighbors, but also to other people in different places like people in Sungai Pinyuh, Singkawang, Sungai Kunyit, Sambas in West Kalimantan, and to people in Palu, Central Sulawesi.

“The presence of garbage bank is a long process, not an instant process. There is a process of behavior change to stop throwing garbage everywhere and defecating in the river,” says Hazizah.

At the end of 2012, Wahana Visi Indonesia facilitated representatives of Siantan village and Cahaya Maju SHGs to learn from other institutions that have been successful in the garbage management.

“We have the spirit since the beginning, but sometime we are doubtful whether we will be successful or not. After the study tour, we have the 45 spirit,” says Hazizah, referring to the year 1945 when the country got its independence. The 45 spirit means that Hazizah is very enthusiastic to grow the garbage bank as a professional and commercial business.

Written by Bartolomeus Marsudiharjo