Govt Wants Plastic Waste at Jakarta Bay to Have Economic Value
24 March 2018 17:06 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - An official at the Directorate General of SeaSpace Management of the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry Sapta Putra Ginting wants plastic waste in Jakarta waters to have economic value. It is because the plastic waste is difficult to decompose.
"Plastic waste which is collected can be processed into a product that has economic value," he said at Nizam Zahman Ocean Fishing Port, North Jakarta, Friday, March 23.
According to Sapta, his office is conducting a training to sort the trash for waste management groups in Muara Angke, Muara Baru, and Cilincing. They are trained how to sort it so they know that if the waste is mixed with plastic, the price will be cheap, he said.
Read: 3 Ways to Combat Jakarta Bay's Plastic Waste
He cited, the plastic waste of bottled water of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) must be separated.
Sapta said the amount of waste in the coastal island of Jakarta is a result of the society with the wrong mindset. "I hope there is a change of mindset, all this time the coastal population thinks that a sea is a dumpster," he said.
In commemorating the World Water Day 2018, the Destructive Fishing Watch (DFW) along with the Marine Affairs Ministry held a mangrove planting and pond-cleaning event at the Ocean Fishing Port of Nizam Zahman.
DFW National Coordinator Abdi Suhufan said the activity is a form of concern for the condition of the Jakarta coastal ecosystem.
Read: Plastic Pollution Ticking Time Bomb in Jakarta Bay
There are about 550 mangroves to be planted in the event and 400 people participated in the 2018 World Water Day event.
The activity is expected to make people aware of not wasting the sea and more concerned about the ecosystem environment.
KARTIKA ANGGRAENI