Plastic & Waste
Waste Management in Tejakula
It is estimated that less than 50% of waste in Bali is collected and disposed of properly and the situation in Tejakula was no different till 2010 when the Village Head of Tejakula initiated a rubbish collection and recycling project. Prior to that, there was no tip and no garbage services, and villages either burnt their garbage or disposed of it in the nearest river.
Gaia-Oasis supports this project, which aims to:
– provide a regular rubbish pick-up and disposal service for villagers
– provide a village tip and a waste processing facility
– reduce the amount of waste that is burned
– reduce indiscriminate dumping of waste in the rivers, in fields and on the roadside
– encourage the separation of plastic and organic waste
– sell resalable plastic and recyclable materials
– compost organic waste
What we do
Gaia has supported this project in the following ways:
– funds to help in the depot construction
– funds to offset part of the waste collection workers’ wages
– education programs and pilot project to increase awareness
In 2014, Yayasan recruited homeowners in a few streets for a pilot project on waste sorting, to encourage citizens to reduce waste and to relieve the burden on the village. The program was funded by Engineers Without Borders (EWB), Germany and involved school clubs and teaching students to be advocates for waste management via blogs, media, and interviews with government officials.
Today, one of the leaders of the pilot project is the head of JEPRI-LINK, a well-regarded network of 80 local citizens active in waste management, who is taking the message to schools, temples, community groups (subak, BPD, youth groups), and the private sector, to take more responsibility to manage and reduce their own waste.
Recent developments
In 2017, the village handed the Waste Procesing Facility to the Village Business Unit or BUMDES. The BUMDES is working to improve the status and safety of waste workers, giving them uniforms, protective clothing, regular wages, and more importantly, public acceptance and respect.
The BUMDES is also working with JEPRI-LINK, to persuade key opinion shapers to set an example and influence their neighbours not to dump waste into the rivers.
Today, there is a much higher awareness and acceptance of the importance of waste management, and although only a small percentage of the village have truly embraced this project and are active waste advocates, many villagers are proud of their visibly cleaner surrounds.
How it works
Every morning, village collectors will collect waste from household and main street bins (waste is picked up from each household 2x a week)
Every fortnight Yayasan picks up sorted plastic waste along 3 routes involving 50 households.
This waste is taken to a depot where it is separated and further sorted. Materials that can be recycled are collected for sale at a later date.
Most of the waste is organic waste; the bulk of this is left to biodegrade naturally and a portion is turned into compost which is also sold.
Future plans include funding for river traps to reduce waste going straight to the sea and funding for village wide plastic only collection 1x a month.