What You Can Do:

There are simple steps we all can take to reduce waste and make sure plastic bags don't end up as litter.

Reduce: Shoppers can always decline a bag at checkout (is a bag really necessary for carrying that pack of gum?).

Reuse: More than 90 percent of consumers reuse their plastic grocery bags at home for purposes ranging from waste basket liners to lunch bags to pet clean up. What new ways can you think of to reuse your plastic bags? » Learn More

Recycle: Next time you head to your local grocer or retailer, remember to return those shopping bags, dry-cleaning bags, bread bags, wraps from paper towels, bathroom tissue, napkins, diapers even the plastic bag that delivered the newspaper! Across the country, many grocers and retailers accept plastic bags and wraps for recycling. » Learn More

Recycling plastic bags and wraps is important because this valuable material can be made into dozens of useful new products such as low-maintenance fencing and decking, building and construction products, shopping carts, and of course, new bags!

Source: http://www.plasticbagfacts.org/Main-Menu/Reduce-Reuse-Recycle.aspx

Facts About Plastic Bottles

* Americans buy an estimated 29.8 billion plastic water bottles every year.
* Nearly eight out of every 10 bottles will end up in a landfill.
* It is estimated that the production of plastics accounts for 4 percent of the energy consumption in the U.S.
* HDPE and PET bottles showed the highest recycling rates of any plastic bottles types, at 27.1 and 23.1 percent, respectively.
* Less than 1 percent of all plastics is recycled. Therefore, almost all plastics are incinerated or end up in a landfill.
* Recycling a single plastic bottle can conserve enough energy to light a 60-watt light bulb for up to six hours.
* Recycled plastic bottles can be made into products such as clothing, carpeting, detergent bottles and lumber for outdoor decking.
* More than 80 percent of U.S. households have access to a plastics recycling program through curbside or community drop-off centers.
* Producing new plastic products from recycled materials uses two-thirds less energy than required to make products from raw (virgin) materials. It also reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

Source: http://earth911.com/recycling/plastic/plastic-bottles/facts-about-plastic-bottles/

Did you know?

Recycling is an excellent way of saving energy and conserving the environment. Did you know that:

* 1 recycled tin can would save enough energy to power a television for 3 hours.
* 1 recycled glass bottle would save enough energy to power a computer for 25 minutes.
* 1 recycled plastic bottle would save enough energy to power a 60-watt light bulb for 3 hours.
* 70% less energy is required to recycle paper compared with making it from raw materials.

Some Interesting Facts

* Up to 60% of the rubbish that ends up in the dustbin could be recycled.
* The unreleased energy contained in the average dustbin each year could power a television for 5,000 hours.
* The largest lake in the Britain could be filled with rubbish from the UK in 8 months.
* On average, 16% of the money you spend on a product pays for the packaging, which ultimately ends up as rubbish.
* As much as 50% of waste in the average dustbin could be composted.
* Up to 80% of a vehicle can be recycled.
* 9 out of 10 people would recycle more if it were made easier.

Source: http://www.recycling-guide.org.uk/recycle.html

How far has Singapore gone with waste management?

Singapore has gone very far in waste management. Now, they are aiming at zero waste.
Pls check this site:
http://www.zerowastesg.com/

As usual, the campaign is carried out in Singaporean style --systematic and integrated.

When Indonesia will start this initiative?

Video on Plastic Waste Management in Bangalore, India

A Video on Plastic Waste Management in Bangalore, India



Courtesy of Youtube

Indonesia Waste Group Champions Biodegradable Plastic Bags

A worker has her lunch at during a break from sorting plastic cups to be recycled at a collection point in Jakarta. (Photo: AP)

JAKARTA — The ubiquitous plastic bag has long been decried as an environmental hazard because of the centuries it takes to break down, but a waste watchdog says alternatives are available that are much more green friendly.

“Plastic requires hundreds of years to biodegrade, which makes biodegradable plastic a good choice to stem the use of plastic,” Sri Bebassari, chairwoman of the Indonesian Solid Waste Association (InSWA), said on Wednesday.

“[Biodegradable plastic] only needs two years to degrade, and it’s safe for the environment.”
Sri said recycled plastic bags were not a viable option for addressing the problem of plastic waste because of the lack of standards in Indonesia for the recycling industry.

“People have complained that the recycled bags have a bad odor. There are also concerns the bags are toxic because the recycling process isn’t clean,” she said.

That is why InSWA has turned its attention to a new technology that allows plastic bags to biodegrade in a relatively short time through oxidation.

Last year, the association awarded a Green Label to Oxium, an additive that speeds up the breakdown of plastics. The additive was developed by Tirta Marta, an Indonesian packaging manufacturer.

“We began developing this compound eight years ago, and started introducing it into the market last year,” Sugianto Tandio, president director of Tirta Marta, said on Wednesday.

“By adding 10 percent Oxium into a plastic bag, it can, through a process of heat and oxidation, degrade within 24 months.”

He said these “oxo-biodegradable bags” had since been adopted by major retailers such as Carrefour, Alfamart, Indomaret, Superindo and Hero.

“Almost 90 percent of their shopping bags now use Oxium, but we haven’t entered traditional markets yet because there are too many plastic producers there,” he said. He added that the company was also developing biodegradable plastic containers for food.

But Sugianto said that of the estimated three million tons of plastic bags currently in circulation around the country, only 35,000 tons contained Oxium.

“There’s still a long way to go, but with the participation of these large retailers, we’re making good progress,” he said.

One of Sugianto’s main concerns, though, is the increasing number of imitators falsely branding their regular bags with the Oxium logo.

“That’s why certification is very important, not just to set standards but also to ensure that producers don’t engage in greenwashing,” he said, referring to the practice of companies using deceptive marketing to promote their so-called green credentials.

“We should build on the 2008 Waste Management Law as a legal basis to set up a certification mechanism and prevent this greenwashing,” he said.

In 2008, Indonesians generated 5.4 million tons of plastic waste, far more than the 3.6 million tons of paper waste produced during the same period, according to the State Ministry for the Environment.

The ministry also says plastic use is increasing by between 10 percent and 13 percent a year.
A study in the United States has shown that a family of four typically goes through 1,460 plastic bags every year. A similar study by InSWA showed Indonesians generated on average 0.5 kilograms of waste a day, 13 percent of which was plastic.

“One hundred percent of people all over the world produce waste, but less than 1 percent really care about managing it or learning how to,” Sri said.

“In Indonesia, waste issues are still far from the public attention, including the aspects of managing, reducing, reusing and recycling. We don’t even have accurate data or research on waste.”

She said the 2008 Waste Management Law provided a sound legal basis for dealing with waste, but the government still needed to issue regulations to implement the law, which the Environment Ministry has pledged to do by the end of the year.

The planned regulations would also address producers’ responsibilities for dealing with their waste.
“From a legal aspect, we already have the law, so it’s just a matter of the government implementing it,” Sri said.

“However, there are four other aspects of waste management: which institutions will deal with it, where the funding will come from, the sociocultural impact and the technology. It must be made clear which institutions are responsible for managing the waste, because the weak link in addressing the issue has always been the lack of data or concise reports.”

By: Fidelis E. Satriastanti, The Jakarta Globe, 2 September 2010
URL: http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=19357

Transforming Waste Plastic into an Alternative Fuel

Student researchers at Northeastern University have designed an apparatus to convert plastic waste into clean energy while minimizing the release of harmful emissions. 

Under the leadership of Yiannis Levendis, distinguished professor of mechanical and industrial engineering, a team of undergraduate and graduate engineering students developed a waste combustor, which breaks down non-biodegradable plastics to create an alternative source of fuel.

Their prototype was featured at the fifth annual MIT Energy Conference this past March. The team worked for nine months on the research, which, for the undergraduates, was their senior capstone project.

Self-sustainability is the key to the double-tank combustor design. Plastic waste is first processed in an upper tank through pyrolysis, which converts solid plastic into gas. Next, the gas flows to a lower tank, where it is burned with oxidants to generate heat and steam. The heat sustains the combustor while the steam can be used to generate electric power.

“The prototype can be scaled up to drive a large power plant, which could connect to a plastic recycling center for a constant flow of fuel,” said David Laskowski, an undergraduate student working on the team.

Levendis, who has pursued research on the combustion of plastics and other post-consumer wastes for the past 20 years, is currently focusing on the concept of vaporizing solid plastic waste, which would reduce levels of harmful emissions during the combustion process.

“The inspiration behind my research is the quest to develop clean, cost-efficient power sources in the face of dwindling fossil fuel reserves,” Levendis said. “It will also help get rid of unsightly, non-biodegradable plastic waste that cannot be recycled.”

According to Laskowski, calculations show that the new technology has the potential of replacing up to 462 million gallons of petroleum in the United States alone, if all recycled plastics were to be processed.

“We are currently consuming highly-priced conventional premium fuels (to produce electricity). The fuel developed using this system will lower the cost of electricity for future generations,” Levendis said.

The team members included Jeff Young, Shane McElroy, Jason Lee, David Laskowski, David Garufi, and Paul Conroy, all senior undergraduate students; and Brendan Hall and Chuanwei Zhuo, who are graduate students.

With the success of their prototype, Hall and Zhuo plan to continue working with Levendis on further development of the project.

Written by: Teresa Cheong, Northeastern Universit, 3 June 2010
URL: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2010/06/transforming-waste-plastic-into-an-alternative-fuel

Wirausahawan Sampah Plastik

Awalnya Baharuddin Sanian tengah mencari kemungkinan kerabatnya yang hilang atau meninggal akibat gempa dan gelombang tsunami. Sesampai di Banda Aceh, di antara ribuan mayat korban bencana dahsyat itu, ia termangu melihat tumpukan sampah berbagai jenis, dari besi hingga plastik.

Saat sampah mulai dibersihkan, Baharuddin heran. Tak banyak orang mau memunguti sampah plastik. Pemulung tak banyak yang mau mengambil sampah plastik. ”Mungkin karena nilainya rendah, sampah plastik tak banyak yang mengambil. Berbeda dengan besi yang harganya mahal kalau dijual kembali,” katanya.

Timbul niat Baharuddin untuk ikut membersihkan sampah plastik karena sadar plastik tak mudah terurai. Ia lalu belajar kepada pemulung bagaimana memanfaatkan sampah plastik. Dia berkenalan dengan Dardak, agen pemulung di Banda Aceh. Dari Dardak ia tahu, sampah plastik hanya dimanfaatkan ala kadarnya. Pemulung di Aceh menggolongkan sampah plastik dalam dua jenis, atom plastik dan cong atau samsam.

Atom plastik berupa bekas kemasan air berbentuk gelas, kursi plastik, hingga bekas ember. Adapun cong atau samsam merupakan campuran berbagai sampah plastik. Penggolongan yang sederhana itu membuat nilai sampah plastik saat dijual ke agen atau pengepul sangat murah.

Baharuddin yang penasaran dengan sampah plastik mencoba mencari tahu lewat internet. Dia kemudian tahu, sampah plastik, seperti halnya ketika masih berupa bahan jadi plastik, terdiri dari berbagai jenis. Sampah plastik pun dibedakan sesuai senyawa kimia pembentuknya. ”Di internet saya tahu, sampah plastik secara garis besar ada tujuh jenis.”

Tujuh jenis itu adalah PET (polyethylene therephthalate) yang biasanya berupa botol air mineral; HDPE (high density polyethylene) berupa botol oli, kosmetik hingga keresek; PVC (polyvinyl chloride) berupa pipa dan bahan konstruksi; LDP (low density polyethylene) berupa tutup botol air kemasan galon; PP (polypropylene) berupa kemasan air dalam gelas hingga peralatan makan; PS (polystyrene) biasanya styrofoam; dan HIPC (high impact plastic cover) untuk perangkat elektronik.

Harga tiap jenis sampah plastik itu berbeda-beda. Sayang, lanjut Baharuddin, pemulung tak tahu jenis-jenis sampah plastik karena mereka menggolongkannya secara sederhana. Dia mencontohkan, satu bekas kemasan botol air minum terdiri dari empat jenis plastik. ”Botolnya itu PET, labelnya PP, tutupnya HDPE, dan segelnya PVC.”

Jika pemulung memilah keempat jenis plastik dalam satu botol kemasan air minum, maka mereka bakal mendapatkan uang lebih saat menjualnya ke agen. Umumnya pemulung tak pernah memilahnya. Akibatnya, agen menyamaratakan harga beli.

”Bekas gelas air minum kemasan kalau sudah dibersihkan dari penutupnya harganya bisa Rp 6.500 per kilogram. Kalau penutupnya dibersihkan seadanya, paling dihargai Rp 4.500,” ujar Baharuddin.

Harga bekas kemasan gelas plastik air minum yang dibersihkan penutupnya bisa mahal karena seluruhnya terdiri dari PP. Sebagai insinyur teknik mesin, ia berinovasi menciptakan mesin yang dapat membersihkan penutup kemasan air minuman dalam gelas plastik.

”Kami menyebutnya PP bening. Bila dicacah dan dijadikan bijih plastik, bisa untuk bahan pembuat kantong plastik berkualitas tinggi. Ini membuat bekas gelas plastik air minum menjadi mahal. Kalau gelas plastiknya tak bersih, masih ada sisa penutupnya, maka kualitas bijih plastiknya jelek,” katanya.

Mendirikan PPRF
Baharuddin pun berniat membagi pengetahuannya kepada pemulung meskipun oleh teman dekat dan keluarga ia dianggap ”gila”. Sudah enak bekerja di Exxon, malah sibuk mengurus pemulung. Lima bulan setelah bencana tsunami di Aceh, Mei 2005, ia mendirikan yayasan, Palapa Plastic Recycle Foundation (PPRF) di Lhokseumawe.

Dibantu Dardak, PPRF menjadi semacam agen atau pengepul sampah plastik. Dardak meminta anak buahnya menjual sampah plastik ke PPRF. Para pemulung lalu diajarkan memilah berbagai jenis sampah plastik sesuai dengan senyawa kimianya.

PPRF juga membeli sampah plastik lebih mahal dibanding agen pemulung lain di Lhokseumawe karena pemulung telah memilah berbagai jenis sampah sesuai senyawa kimianya.

Ini membuat banyak pemulung menjual sampah plastik ke PPRF. Ia juga belajar, kebanyakan agen pengumpul di Aceh mengirim rongsokan plastik ke Medan tanpa dicacah atau di-grinding sehingga kendaraan pengangkut tak bisa memuat banyak sampah plastik. Lewat internet, ia mengenal seorang pengusaha pencacahan sampah plastik di Bekasi. Dia lalu membeli mesin pencacah sampah plastiknya.

Selain menjadi tempat penampungan sampah plastik para pemulung di Lhokseumawe, PPRF mempekerjakan masyarakat sekitar tempat penampungan di Panggoi, Lhokseumawe, untuk memilah sampah plastik. 

”Pemulung memilah secara kasar, pekerja di penampungan memilah lebih detail.”

Kini, sekitar 100 pemulung menjual sampah plastik ke PPRF. Kegiatan PPRF pun menarik lembaga swadaya masyarakat (LSM) internasional yang beroperasi di Aceh. Mereka menilai PPRF membantu memberdayakan masyarakat miskin di Aceh.

”Ada anggapan di Aceh ini, pekerjaan pemulung itu ’rendahan’ sehingga tak banyak yang mau. Padahal kalau tahu potensinya, pemulung juga bisa menghidupi keluarga dengan layak,” kata Baharuddin.

Juni 2006, LSM asal Belanda, PUM Nederland, memberi bantuan mesin grinding berkapasitas 50 ton per bulan. Bantuan ini sebagian hibah, sekitar 30 persen sisanya pinjaman lunak selama lima tahun. Pada 2007, LSM lain dari Belanda membantu PPRF mendirikan 20 rumah bagi pemulung di sekitar lokasi pabrik pencacahan sampah plastik.

Upayanya memberdayakan pemulung dengan PPRF membuat dia dinilai sebagai social entrepreneur. Tahun 2007, Auscare dan UNDP memberi hibah PPRF Rp 1,6 miliar untuk membangun pabrik pencacahan sampah plastik di Banda Aceh.

Sayang, upaya Baharuddin belum dihargai pemerintah daerah. Saat menawarkan program penanganan sampah anorganik di Lhokseumawe, pemerintah daerah malah minta bantuan pengadaan tong sampah ke PPRF.

Satu mimpi Baharuddin yang belum terwujud adalah mendirikan pabrik pengolahan sampah plastik menjadi barang jadi.

”Pabrik untuk mengolah sampah plastik yang telah berupa bijih menjadi barang jadi, seperti kantong keresek hingga tali rafia. Selama ini sampah plastik dari Aceh dibawa ke Medan, diolah menjadi barang jadi, lalu dikirim lagi ke Aceh,” katanya.

Source: KOMPAS, 6 July 2010, URL: http://www1.kompas.com/read/xml/2010/07/06/10570249/wirausahawan.sampah.plastik..

PPR for the Better Livelihood of Scavengers and Save Environment

T

he factory doesn’t have an assuming look. Many have passed the Lhokseumawe-Medan highway without noticing it. Only a handful of visitors have ventured to come in and take a brief look what is going on inside. Yet, the billboard says it all: Yayasan Pemulung (Scavenger Foundation), a more marketable name of Palapa Plastic Recylce (PPR) Foundation.

Behind the corrugated iron-fence that surrounds the complex, the scene is breathtaking. Bulks and baskets of plastic wastes, classified according to chemical substance and colours, are lined in order. In the background, sharp noises coming from the grinding machine welcoming as we enter further the inside of this spacious location. Meanwhile, several labors, most of them are women, in blue uniform are skillfully cleaning and sorting varied of plastics waste based on their types. One will soon realize that something unique is ongoing in the factory.

Established in 2005, PPR is the first plastic recycle factory in Aceh province.  The man behind this waste-recycling industry is Baharuddin Sanian, who is now still working for ExxonMobil Lhokseumawe. Amazingly, Baharuddin has never planned that the good deed he started since 2005 will end up in the creation of plastic recycling industry. “When I formed PPR in 2005, I’ve never thought that it will go this far. At that time, I only intended to help scavengers, whom I think have done much to maintain the city clean, yet is seen so low by the society. I didn’t know anything about community development works or about waste industry. What I had only the sympathy to help scavengers.”

Before the establishment of PPR, waste only had little economic value in Aceh, while scavengers were in unfavourable condition. They had to work in unsafe working environment, had weak bargaining position against collector, poor knowledge on economic value of waste, lack of support from government and other development actors. However, despite their hard work, scavengers continue to live in deplorable condition. This is caused by the low economic value of waste, particularly the plastic-waste.

Meanwhile, the technology of plastic waste recycling process was not existent in Aceh province. Plastic wastes were dumped in the waste disposal site without any processing technology. This steadily increased burden of the dump site.

Baharuddin then discovered the key of improving economic value of plastic waste; that the plastic must be classified, sorted, and grinded based on its chemical substance. This had never been realized by scavengers. In the past, buyers only paid very low price to scavengers as they purchased the waste in unclassified and dirty state.

So, in 2005, PPR started to provide training to scavengers on techniques of waste classification. Scavengers are also trained on low risk plastic-waste management process. Plastic waste are classified into 7 types of chemical substance (PET, HDPE, PVC, LDPE, PP, PS, and Others [ABS, Hampact]). Scavengers are trained to recognize physical characteristics of each type of plastic, so that they can easily classfiy the plastic waste.

All of plastic waste which have been classified according to its chemical substance are then sold by scavengers to PPR. The foundation paid them according to the actual market price (the highest price). The price is obtained through daily communication with buyers in Medan (North Sumatera).

“After procuring waste from scavengers in Lhokseumawe, I realized that I must give an added-value to it, so that it can be sold at higher price to factories in Medan. The added-value can be obtained if the waste is cleaned and shredded into plastic chips. Then, I decided to buy a grinding machine in Java, in order to learn how it works. I then manufacture my own grinding machine,” said Baharuddin, recollecting his early days in working with scavengers. Baharuddin then manufactured his own version of grinding machine, one hydraulic press, one grinding blade machine, and twenty lid-removal machines. (This venture has not only saved the cost of production, but also create more job opportunities). The machines are stored and operated in the PPR workshop in Panggoi, Lhokseumawe City, Aceh.

The classified plastic waste are grinded, washed, and then dried; either by spreading it over an open cement floor (by the sun) or via a sort of cyclone drier (heat initiated via a gas burner with a nozzle –another Baharuddin’s invention). The dried chips are collected, packed, and sent to buyers in Medan.

As PPR waste processing workshop is fully established, Baharuddin doesn’t stop there. He then provided motorcycles to scavengers so that they will be able to transport the collected waste easier and faster. The motorcycle is not handed over for free. Instead, PPR uses pinjam pakai system. (By this system, motorcycles belong to PPR. Scavengers can use the motorcycle as long as they are still working as scavengers. Once they no longer work as scavengers, the motorcycle must be returned to PPR). This system is a stark contrast to the one-off distribution activities of working equipments in the post-Tsunami Aceh, which mostly fail.

In 2006, Baharuddin and PPR’s activity attracted the attention of two donors; PUM Netherlands (a Dutch technical expert group) and Austcare (an Australian NGO, a UNDP partner in Aceh). With the support of PUM Netherlands, PPR expanded its activities in Lhokseumawe. Meanwhile, with Austcare, PPR opened its Central Collection Point (CCP) in the provincial capital Banda Aceh. In the CCP, the segregated plastic wastes are collected and purchased from scavengers. The segregated waste are then sent to the PPR workshop in Lhokseumawe to undergo grinding and crushing process.

At present, PPR has directly benefitted 450 scavengers. Meanwhile, in general, no less 1,500 scavengers and sorters receive the benefit from PPR’s innovative approach. Meanwhile, the total plastic waste processed at PPR workshop every month is 50 tonnes. This has significantly reduced the burden of the municipal waste disposal site. Despite this achievement, Baharuddin still hope that PPR can process more plastic waste. At present, the volume of plastic waste in the entire Aceh province is 330 tonnes/month.

PPR also provides 25 houses to scavengers and permanent workers of PPR workshop. The funding for reconstruction and renovation of the houses is from ZeroKap Netherlands, a Dutch microcredit NGO. To pay for their new homes, 25%-50% of their income will be deducted during a 10 year period. After this period, the homes will be the property of the employees.

Despite his hectic schedule, Baharuddin still love to manufacture waste processing machine by using appropriate technology. His latest invention is lid-removal machines, which will enable scavengers to take off plastic seal of mineral water cup. The machine is able to take off the lid much safer and faster than using manual process (peeling of the lid by using knife). Costing only USD 200 per unit, Baharuddin manufactured twenty units of the machine in August 2008 and were distributed to scavengers in Lhokseumawe and Banda Aceh.

For all the works that PPR and Baharuddin have done to improve the livelihood of scavengers and to protect the environment, the Global Development Network (GDN) has made PPR activity as one of the five most innovative development project in the world. “I was awed upon receiving the news from GDN. I was only helping the scavengers. My tools are my mechanical skill and sympathy to the scavengers,” Bahar commented on the achievement.

“I hope in the near future, my initiative will grow bigger; more collection points can be set up in other parts of Aceh; more scavengers can be provided motorcycle to transport their waste to PPR workshop; and more scavengers whose houses are renovated or constructed. My dream is to set up a waste-to-product factory, in which plastic waste will be recylced and converted into a brand new product –all in one roof,” explained Baharuddin, who is now nominated as the recipient of the prestigious Ashoka Fellow.  If this waste-to-product factory is set up, it will bring immense economic benefit to scavengers (as the factory will require large quantity of plastic waste to be supplied), boost economic activity of the local market (until now, all plastics in Aceh are still imported from Medan, North Sumatera), and also ensure the environmental protection of Aceh from the risk of plastic waste. It will help create a better Aceh.

Photos from Terminal 3, Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Jakarta

Nice segregated bins.
Indonesia is trying to beef up its waste management campaign, albeit late.

Photo and text: Surya Aslim

Bilakah Indonesia Bebas Kantong Plastik

Plastik sejak diketemukan sampai sekarang menjadi barang yang dipakai sangat luas dan tidak bisa dilepaskan dari kehidupan manusia sehari-hari.

Berbagai barang kebutuhan manusia mulai dari makanan, minuman, pakaian, sampai dengan mobil pun dibungkus dengan mobil.

Dari sebuah penelitian, konsumen di Indonesia bisa membawa minimal lima kantong plastik dalam sehari untuk membawa beragam barang belanjaan.

Sedangkn hasil riset PT Lion Superindo pada 2008 menyatakan bahwa dalam periode satu tahun jika dijumlah maka pengunaan kantong plastik masyarakat di dunia adalah sebesar 500 juta sampai dengan 1 miliar kantong.

Jika sampah-sampah ini dibentangkan maka, dapat membungkus permukaan bumi setidaknya hingga 10 kali lipat.

Sedangkan dari sisi produksi, bahan baku pembuatan plastik dengan jumlah total konsumsi plastik dalam satu tahun maka dibutuhkan 12 juta barel minyak dan 14 juta batang pohon sebagai bahan baku dasarnya.

Padahal kantong plastik membutuhkan 1.000 tahun untuk diurai di alam dan sekitar 450 tahun terurai bila berada di air.

Belum pencemaran yang disebakan kantong plastik, seperti prediksi ahli lingkungna bahwa terdapat 100.000 hewan mamalia air yang meninggal setiap tahun karena menelan sampah plastik di samudra Pasifik Utara.

Sementara di Indonesia, industri ritel menjadi sektor yang paling banyak menggunakan kantong plastik.

Berdasarkan data dari International Trade Administration (ITA) AS, impor kantong plastik belanja AS dari Indonesia naik sejak 2006 yaitu dari 1.592.965 unit senilai 23.519.266 dolar AS, 2007 sebanyak 3.396.505 unit senilai 42.249.578 dolar AS dan 2008 menjadi 2.819.569 unit senilai 37.772.433 dolar AS.

Impor produk tersebut dari Vietnam juga meningkat terus sejak 2006 yaitu 3.061.998 unit senilai 17,48 juta dolar AS, 2007 sebanyak 7.288. 037 unit senilai 65,43 juta dolar AS dan pada 2008 sebanyak 7.192. 325 unit senilai 79,41 juta dolar AS.

Sedangkan impor dari Taiwan pada 2006 sebanyak 2.171.587 unit senilai 17,66 juta dolar AS, 2007 sebanyak 3.988.867 unit senilai 38,55 juta dolar AS dan 2008 sebanyak 4.575.499 unit senilai 51,25 juta dolar AS.

Kampanye pembatasan penggunaan kantong plastik bagi ritel saat ini gencar dilakukan di berbagai negara di dunia, khususnya di negara-negara maju seperti di Amerika, Eropa, Australia, serta beberapa negara Asia seperti Singapura, Hongkong, dan Taiwan serta China.

Di Eropa, Belanda hanya memperbolehkan toko ritel non makanan yang memberikan kantong plastik secara gratis sedangkan untuk toko ritel makanan harus mengenakan biaya ekstra bagi konsumen yang menginginkan kantong plastik, sedangkan di Belgia menerapkan pajak kepada usaha ritel atas kantong plastik sejak tahun 2007, dan Denmark menerapkan pajak kepada usaha ritel sejak tahun 1994.

Pemerintah Singapura mengkampanyekan "Bring Your Own Bag" sejak April 2007, dan konsumen harus mengeluarkan ekstra biaya jika ingin menggunakan kantong plastik, sementara di Hongkong mengkampanyekan "No Plastic Bag Day" yang diikuti oleh 30 peritel besar.

China mengenakan sanksi kepada usaha ritel yang memberikan kantong plastik secara gratis sejak bulan Juni 2008, sedangkan di Taiwan melarang penggunaan kantong plastik serta memberlakukan pajak kantong plastik sejak tahun 2003 serta menerapkan standar produksi kantong plastik yang aman bagi lingkungan.

India menerapkan pelarangan penggunaan kantong plastik serta penerapan pajak kantong plastik pada usaha ritel sejak januari 2009 serta kriteria standar untuk produksi kantong plastik yang aman bagi lingkungan.

Target pemerintah
Sejak setahun yang lalu, Kementerian Lingkungan Hidup (KLH) berencana membatasi penggunaan kantong plastik di Indonesia untuk mengurangi pencemaran dengan mengeluarkan peraturan sebagai penjabaran dari UU No.18/2008 tentang Pengelolaan Sampah.

"Saya akan membuat peraturan yang mendetil, termasuk insentif dan disinsentif, dimulai dari produsen kantong plastik akan terkena disisentif," kata Menteri Negara Lingkungan Hidup (saat itu) Rachmat Witoelar dalam jumpa pers mengenai pelaksanaan Hari Peduli Sampah 21 Februari 2009.

Gayung bersambut, Pemprov DKI Jakarta bersama Kadin DKI pun menargetkan Jakarta bebas dari penggunaan kantong plastik pada 2011.

"Kita akan menyiapkan tas untuk menggantikan plastik dari bahan daur ulang atau bahan yang tidak mencemari lingkungan," kata Gubernur DKI Jakarta Fauzi Bowo seusai bertemu Kadin DKI di Balaikota Jakarta, Senin (8/2/2010).

Asosiasi ritel disebut Gubernur akan menjadi pionir untuk berhenti menggunakan kantong plastik untuk membungkus belanjaan konsumen dan menggantinya dengan tas yang menggunakan bahan tidak berbahaya.

Ketua Kadin DKI Edi Kuntadi menyatakan, waktu setahun sebelum target akan digunakan pihaknya untuk melakukan sosialisasi kepada masyarakat dan pengusaha untuk tidak lagi menggunakan tas plastik dan untuk melakukan penelitian mengenai bahan tas pengganti plastik.

"Setahun ini akan kita cari solusinya untuk pengganti tas plastik. Karena ini kan masalahnya kepentingan lingkungan. Bagaimana menggunakan produk-produk yang bisa didaur ulang, produk yang ramah lingkungan," kata Edi.

Plt. Asisten Deputi Urusan Pengendalian Pencemaran Limbah Domestik dan Usaha Skala Kecil KLH, Tri Bangun Laksono merasa optimis dengan target Pemprov dan Kadin DKI itu karena berbagai pemangku kepentingan, terutama industri dan retailler di Jakarta mulai menggunakan kantong plastik "biodegradable" yang lebih ramah lingkungan.

"Sekarang sudah ada 20 retailler, termasuk pusat perbelanjaan di Jabotabek yang menggunakan plastik ’biodegradable’ ," kata Tri Bangun yang lebih akrab dipanggil Sony.

Ketua Umum Asosiasi Persampahan Indonesia (Indonesia Solid Waste Association/ InSWA) Sri Bebassari mengatakan 20 retailler tersebut antara lain Indomaret, Alfamart, Carrefour, Superindo, Apotik Century, dan Kemchick.

Untuk memancing retailler aktif menggunakan kantong plastik ramah lingkungan, Sri Bebassari mengatakan pihaknya bekerjasama dengan Kementerian Negara Lingkungan Hidup (KLH) dan pemprov DKI Jakarta akan memberikan penghargaan kepada retailler yang telah menggunakan kantong plastik "biodegradable".

Dia mengatakan penghargaan direncanakan diberikan pada saat peringatan Hari Lingkungan Hidup 5 Juni atau peringatan Hari Jadi Kota Jakarta setiap 22 Juni.

Program ritel
Sedangkan Government relation manager Carrefour Indonesia, Satria Hamid mengatakan kesadaran masyarakat terhadap lingkungan semakin meningkat.

Hal itu terbukti dari meningkatnya pembelian kantong ramah lingkungan di tokonya yang dimulai sejak tiga tahun lalu.

"Program Bag Go Green Carrefour dirancang pada 26 April 2007, sampai sekarang di 2010 tercatat peningkatan pemakaian oleh konsumen sekitar 350 persen," ujarnya.

Saat ini, pihaknya telah mengganti plastik yang diberikan pada konsumennya dengan plastik yang ramah lingkungan. "Kantong plastik yang kami berikan gratis untuk konsumen kami sudah menggunakan bahan yang biodegradable, dapat terurai cepat dan ramah lingkungan," jelasnya.

Sedangkan Vice Presiden Matahari Group, Roy N Mandai mengatakan pihaknya juga telah memberikan pilihan kantong plastik ramah lingkungan kepada konsumen Matahari grup dan Hypermart.

"Kembali ke keputusan konsumen untuk menggunakan kantong plastik ramah lingkungan itu," katanya.

Justru yang penting adalah edukasi kepada masyarakat sehingga punya kesadaran untuk menggunakan kantong plastik ramah lingkungan atau kantong plastik daur ulang.

Staf Pengajar, Fakultas Ekonomi Universitas Kristen Petra Surabaya, Michael Adiwijaya mengatakan keberhasilan pengurangan program pengurangan penggunaan kantong plastik dalam aktivitas ritel ditentukan oleh adanya tiga peran yaitu peran dari pemerintah selaku regulator, peran dari pebisnis ritel sebagai pelaku pasar, dan peran dari masyarakat selaku konsumen yang menggunakan dan mengelola limbah kantong plastik.

Sekarang tinggal sinergi dari pemangku kepentingan untuk menggolkan penggunaan kantong plastik ramah lingkungan.

Setelah peritel sudah mulai menggunakan dan menyediakan kantong plastik daur ulang kepada konsumennya, maka tugas pemerintah dan juga masyarakat sendiri agar pembelanja bersedia menggunakan kantong plastik tersebut, atau bahkan membawa kantong plastik sendiri dari rumah.

Written by: Nur R Fajar
Source: http://oase.kompas.com/read/2010/04/26/0322029/Bilakah.Indonesia.Bebas.Kantong.Plastik.-8

Benefits of recycled polythene

A report on the production of carrier bags made from recycled rather than virgin polythene concluded that the use of recycled plastic resulted in the following environmental benefits:

    * reduction of energy consumption by two-thirds
    * production of only a third of the sulphur dioxide and half of the nitrous oxide
    * reduction of water usage by nearly 90%
    * reduction of carbon dioxide generation by two-and-a-half times

A different study concluded that 1.8 tonnes of oil are saved for every tonne of recycled polythene produced.
(Source: http://www.wasteonline.org.uk/resources/InformationSheets/Plastics.htm)