National Clean-Up Day Indonesia Volunteers Collect 426 Tons of Litter
On 19 February, 2023, thousands of volunteers from all walks of life collected over 426 tons of litter from streets, rivers, mountains and oceans in Indonesia to raise awareness against mounting plastic and litter problem.
Indonesia has been announced in a Science.org report (2021) as the 5th largest emitter of marine plastic waste, emitting 56,333 metric tons of plastic into the oceans every year. In an effort to raise awareness to this problem, non-profit organization Indonesia Indah Foundation hosted Hari Bersih Indonesia, a national clean-up day that invites citizens and residents of Indonesia to care for the environment by picking up litter from their neighborhoods. The event challenges people to raise awareness to the problem of waste and littering while helping to reduce the amount of litter that ends up in rivers and waterways, and ultimately, the oceans.
The initiative is volunteer-based, and on this year’s national clean-up day, over 76 thousand volunteers, from individuals, to schools, businesses, government and non-government organisations, cleaned up in teams spread across 34 provinces in Indonesia.
In Bali, Hari Bersih Indonesia collaborated with One Island One Voice, an island-wide clean-up run by Bye Bye Plastic Bags. On the Island of the Gods, over 12,000 volunteers collected 28.8 tons of litter, made up mostly of Plastic Bags (13%), Plastic Straws (12%), Styrofoam (6%) and Plastic Cups (11%), and Plastic Bottles (6%).
Hari Bersih Indonesia also worked with communities and NGOs such as Fornas Rintara Jaya and Drivers Clean Action to mobilize clean-ups in rural areas and on Indonesia’s islands. In other parts of Indonesia, businesses including PT Adaro Energy Indonesia, Eiger and Trakindo, mobilized their employees at all of their nationwide branches to take to the streets and make a change.
In Jakarta, over 700 volunteers marched down Jl. Thamrin and Jl. Sudirman on Car Free Day while collecting trash, in an effort to raise awareness to the mounting plastic problem.
Celebrities spotted on the march included actor and eco-preneur Hamish Daud, as well as businessman Chia Ah Hoo, Director at PT Adaro Energy Indonesia, who were seen picking up litter on Jakarta’s main street of Jalan Sudirman. The march ended at Thamrin 10, where Festival Hari Bersih Indonesia was held in collaboration with Jakarta’s Government, and in honor of Hari Peduli Sampah Nasional (National Trash Awareness Day). The Festival showcased organizations working to reduce Indonesia’s waste footprint, and featured performances by rock artist Nugie, and speeches from Jakarta Governor, Drs. Heru Budi Hartono, M.M.
Founders of this national-scale event born in 2019 are non-profit organization, Indonesia Indah Foundation (IIF). Joining forces with the foundation for this colossal event this year, are award-winning advertising agency M&C Saatchi Indonesia, who have been running the event’s marketing campaign in previous years. Together, the organizers aim to change mindsets and behaviors towards waste with the aim of reducing Indonesia’s waste and plastic consumption.
Angela Jelita Richardson, Founder and Chairwoman of Indonesia Indah Foundation, shares her excitement at the success of this year’s collosal clean-up.
“After two years of not being able to do mass-scale clean-ups due to Covid restrictions, we were thrilled at this year’s turnout and achievements,” Richardson shares. “Volunteers united, and together we were able to collect over 426 tons of waste that would have otherwise ended up in the oceans. It’s time everyone played their part in the reduction and management of plastic waste – from the companies creating it, to the consumers purchasing it – if we all came together, we could solve this problem once and for all.”