Champion of Repurposed Plastic Waste
Kadirun’s journey in waste management began in 2016, when it was common for the people in his hamlet to dump their garbage into the river. He won many people over as he turned plastic waste into useful items.
Beginning with his concern at the garbage littering rice fields and farmlands that sparked a community dispute in his hamlet, Kadirun, 50, took the initiative to start clearing the waste. He continued his effort although neighbors sneered at him, and won many people over as he turned plastic waste into useful items.
Kadirun has opened the eyes of many people with his efforts, as he has succeeded in protecting the environment which turning the plastic waste into useful items, such as paving blocks, fuel and machine grease.
Kadirun’s journey in waste management began in 2016, when it was common for the people in his hamlet to dump their garbage into the river. Non-recyclable plastic (NRP) like plastic bags and food wrappers ended up in the residents\' rice fields.
"As a result, it became difficult for the rice to grow properly because [the paddies] were covered in garbage, and many [rice plants] were even damaged," Kadirun said on Monday (25/11/2019) in Dasan Baru hamlet of Murbaya village in Pringgarata district, Central Lombok regency, West Nusa Tenggara.
Prompted by these reasons, I started collecting garbage.
In addition, some residents in Dasan Baru dumped their garbage onto land belonging to other residents, angering them and triggering a dispute.
"Prompted by these reasons, I started collecting garbage," said Kadirun.
He first built a garbage bin to prevent littering. However, because it was not enough to hold all the garbage the hamlet produced, he offered his land as a community garbage dump.
"[The waste] piled up over time and caused us discomfort. In the end, [the garbage] was simply burned, so there was no benefit," Kadirun said.
At the end of 2016, Kadirun came up with the idea to make paving blocks from melted plastic waste, borrowing a mold from a neighbor who produced paving blocks.
Making the paving blocks is simple. Kadirun needs 3 kilograms of NRP to make one paving block. The plastic waste is then heated for about 15 minutes in a metal container (Kadirun originally used an empty paint can). After it has melted, he pours the hot liquid into the mold and leaves it to cool, turning out the finished brick once it has cooled completely.
"It worked. It turned out that the garbage I had been collecting and burning had a benefit," said Kadirun.
Experimenting
The first paving blocks Kadirun produced were not good. They were difficult to shape and were hollow, because he used various types of plastic waste without sorting them first.
After many experiments and receiving advice from a lecturer who taught his son Amrul Ikhsan, 22, at Mataram University’s Mathematics and Natural Sciences Faculty (FMIPA), Kadirun’s paving blocks started to improve. Their strength and shape were almost the same as concrete paving blocks.
Although he couldn’t start selling the recycled paving blocks immediately, Kadirun’s success at making the blocks from plastic waste boosted his spirit. He decided to focus on waste management.
At the outset, he only used the plastic waste that was dumped on the land behind his house. Later, Kadirun began collecting garbage from other villages. He became so busy with this activity that he quite his job as a brickmaker.
"I sold the pickup truck that I used for delivering bricks. The proceeds were used to fund the cost of processing waste and also for my daily needs, because I could not start selling the paving blocks immediately," said Kadir.
Laughingstock
His neighbors did not immediately respond positively to Kadirun’s new activity. He was sneered at and called crazy. But Kadirun did not care. Responding to things like that was just a waste of his time. For him, the most important thing was that he had his family’s support.
"People need proof. Then they will believe in what we are doing. So, I aimed to give them proof," he said.
Kadirun continued to collect garbage from his neighborhood and around Murbaya village. He began producing the paving blocks until this last year, when he moved production to a simple workshop that was once used to produce bricks. His son and a relative helped.
In April 2019, Kadirun received his first order for 3 square meters of paving blocks from North Lombok, at 36 paving blocks per square meter, sold for Rp 200,000. Before long, he received another order for 10 sqm of paving blocks from West Lombok.
"Yesterday, someone even ordered 1 square kilometer of paving blocks, but I declined because I cannot fulfill the order," said Kadirun.
People need proof. Then they will believe in what we are doing.
Sudirman, a lecturer at FMIPA Mataram University, who conducted a compressive strength test on Kadirun’s recycled paving block, said it was of good quality. The durability of the recycled paving blocks is 139 kilograms per square centimeter, nearly the same as concrete paving blocks (142 kg/sq cm).
"The technology Kadirun used is highly feasible for every village to adopt. The product quality can also be improved. This is very good, because producing the paving blocks requires a lot of plastic [waste]," said Sudirman.
Kadirun then began finding it difficult to source plastic waste. He said that his hamlet and Murbaya village only produced a limited amount of plastic waste that could support his paving block production.
"I went out of the village, looking for garbage in other villages, including markets. Shop owners also know about this. So, they separate the garbage that cannot be recycled," he said.
Aside from markets, Kadirun, in collaboration with the Peripih Doro Garbage Bank that his son set up, goes to nearby tourist spots every week to collect garbage. As word spread on Kadirun\'s activities, various parties became interested in working with him to collect waste.
"However, we cannot visit them all, because there are no vehicles for transporting [the plastic] to our place. So far, we pick up the garbage by motorcycle. It can only carry one sack at a time," said Kadirun.
Despite the constraints in space (for a garbage dump), equipment and production costs, Kadirun remains optimistic about his decision. Not only has he started producing and selling paving blocks, but he has also been able to realize his other missions of protecting the environment and preventing disputes.
Dasan Baru hamlet is now clean. Its roads, houses, farmland and rice fields are free of plastic waste, most of which has been transformed into paving blocks.
Kadirun
Born: Murbaya, Central Lombok, 20 May 1970
Wife: Nurjannah, 45
Children: Yunita Wulandari, 26;Amrul Ihsan, 22; Lia Qomaladewi, 19; Maulana Ibrahim, 8
Education: - STM Mataram (now SMKN 3 Mataram vocational school), Class of 1987.