A 53-year-old woman from Padang, Indonesia, forms a waste bank in order to prevent plastic pollution and help the local area's economy.
Asri Astia Ningsih's facility collects plastic waste such as wrappers, cartons and cans and turns them into useful items such as aprons, bags and stationery boxes.
The footage filmed on November 13 shows works as Ningsih's waste bank transforming plastic wrappers into large carrier bags.
Ningsih, founder of the waste bank, said: "The first basic thing is that I motivate myself to see the environment clean."
For some people, garbage is something that is disgusting, including plastic waste which is also one of the causes of environmental damage, because it is difficult to disentangle.
But this is not the case with some residents in the city of Padang, Indonesia's West Sumatra Province. Instead, they use plastic waste to be useful and economically valuable items, such as aprons, bags, folders and stationery boxes. This processing makes plastic waste help the family economy.
The plastic waste belonging to residents who had been thrown away or not utilized and damaged the environment, was collected through a garbage bank.
It was Asri Astia Ningsih (53 years), a community social activist, who took the initiative to form a waste bank called the Sakinah Garbage Bank, seven years ago. The Trash Bank was built at his home in Batu Gadang Village.
The presence of the Sakinah Garbage Bank is the result of Asri's journey to see other regions overseas, where plastic waste can be useful. His presence also helps to tackle 450 tons of garbage produced in the city of Padang every day.
Household plastic waste delivered by residents, weighed and put in a savings book. There is a set price per kilogram of garbage collected, according to type. Starting from 1000 rupiah to six thousand rupiah, or far higher than the purchase price of scavengers. Every day tens of kilograms of plastic trash can be collected every day, ranging from plastic beverage packaging, bottles, to instant noodle plastic wrap.
Plastic waste that has been cleaned, sorted and sewn by group members becomes economic value goods. At p
Transcript: "The first basic thing is that I motivate myself to see the environment clean. So terosebsi with the area of people out there, how can it be clean huh? that's why I started thinking about adopting what people are doing out there. I tried to adopt it. I started from the smallest environment first, my environment. That is the basis to make the area more beautiful, cleaner, I collected several RW 3 neighborhood communities, I invited to make a container called a garbage bank, the first activity is to sort or collect plastic waste. Initially so.
For the garbage we take, all the garbage we take. then we are separated by our members. We separate organics and organics. Well, the garbage that has become a scourge for us we already know together, is plastic waste. Well, what is the solution, while the plastic waste is not destroyed 200 years on earth. If we return it to the Final Disposal Site (TPA), it means that it will still be problematic in the environment. So I tried to turn my brain, to process it into selling points. Especially the problem of plastic waste that I made in the form of folders, bags, aprons, wallets, and crafts for souvenirs, glass cover and also like aqua place. Many more products, can be 100 kinds of products.
