Jul 01 2008
Plastic Waste Cleaning in Untung Jawa Island
On may 27, 2008 I am with social group community - JSN (Join Society for Nature) going to Untung Jawa Island which is one of Seribu Islands in Indonesia. Untung Jawa island is very attractive island that have a long beach with white sand and many mangrove tree. The mangrove tree very inportant to take care water ecosystem and water quality on that island. But, nowday it is not so beautiful because there are much plastic waste on arround of Untung Jawa beach with caused by waste from Jakarta throw away in river that flow to java ocean.
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We use a traditional small boat to carry us go there. This is the first time I travelling with traditional small boat. I very afraid use this not safety boat because I can’t swim. 
But I believe with my God and my friends on this boat that always take care me.
When we arrival we look the nice and clean dock environment and good waste management. But when we turn arround that not so good. On the behind of island the beach very dirty and there is no local people that care about this bad environment. As the young man we very sad look this condition. When this bad habitually continue I believe our earth will go to worst condition and when we late to ack I think there is no any place that could support our live on the earth.
Then we coordinate with local government official and people to work together clean behind beach on this island and also plant some tree on arround of office building. Okay our activity for about 1 day could not clean all of part that beach, but we want give some example how to take care they island where they are live. Although we as not local people, we want to show that have big attention about Untung Jawa environment. We frequently thinking why they don’t care to the environment. We will documented our activity then send to other social communiy and government that we have give example how to safe our environment. After this JSN always open their hand to work together when there’s any activities that could safe our environment.
We put one by one plastic waste that we meet as long as we walk on the beach. We use plastic bag to collect plastic and other waste that danger or could not recycle naturally. Every group that consist of 2 person have 1 plastic bag and should be find special waste and give the meaning why they choose that waste. After that every person should be have commitment how to reduce plastic waste, some of have commitment not use plastic bag when buy something on supermarket or reduce eat mie instant. Very nive that activity because after that I have a big attention to safe our environment with the simple activity. I believe when all of people have this awareness, we could live together on the earth with peace and health.
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Thomas, I am very proud of what you and your friends did for our mother nature. We, and our “instant” culture tend to produe waste that will force us and our next generation to live on earth without “peace and health”.
I agree with your opinion that reducing waste from its source should be our society focus and priority of “reformasi babak 2″. You and your friends are our bigest hope to initiate this reform in Indonesia, but please keep the action louder than words. We can learn it from the “babak 1″ that so many life, energy, and plastic botle were wasted during those “demo mahasiswa” in Jakarta and may other cities in Indonesia.
I have one question to you in regard to those waste that you and your JSN friends collected at Untung Jawa. What do you do to those plastic that have been collected there?
We collected many kinds of plactic waste. Then we bought it to waste recycle center so its could be used again to other product.