Atim Susanto, Raising Awareness on Waste Management

KOMPAS/JUMARTO YULIANUS

Atim Susanto (41)

Atim Susanto, 41, tirelessly raises community awareness on waste management and maintaining a clean environment. Atim has invited local residents to sort waste through a waste bank, starting with household waste, innovating to reduce plastic waste and increase its resale value.

From the corner of Moro Seneng alley in Pekauman village of Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, Atim transmits his spirit of environmental protection. The villagers have been told not to litter, because their garbage can be a blessing. As a result, the small alley is clean and pretty.

Next to Atim’s house is a small building for storing and managing garbage. The sign on it says “Morse Indah Waste Bank”. Morse is the acronym for Moro Seneng. In front are piles of inorganic waste like cans, bottles and mineral water plastic cups.

Morse Indah Waste Bank was established in October 2012. Its goal is to manage waste, especially inorganic waste. “The basic principle is reducing waste from the source (household) and reusing the waste at the source or at the waste bank,” Atim said on Thursday afternoon (1/17/2019) during an interview in Banjarmasin.

In the beginning, Morse Indah Waste Bank only had 15 customers. Over time, this figure grew and today, the waste bank has 105 registered customers, although not all are active.

“The customers of Morse Indah Waste Bank come from the RT 024 RW 002 neighborhood unit in Pekauman village and from nearby areas. Today, about 60 percent are active customers,” said Atime, who is the waste bank’s director.

In its early years, the waste bank’s customers deposited 1 ton of waste every month. However, the volume of deposited waste declined in 2016-2017. “Presently, we only receive 450-500 kilograms of garbage per month,” he said.

Innovation

According to Atim, the decline in the volume of deposited waste is directly linked to the village’s innovation in waste management. Only a fraction of used plastic bottles is deposited at the waste bank, while the villagers have turned the majority of plastic bottles into ecobricks.

Ecobricks are environmentally friendly building blocks made of plastic bottles filled with dry plastic waste or used fabrics to lend waste and density. Making ecobricks is one solution for reducing used plastic bags and fabrics, which have no resale value. But once they are into ecobricks, the waste gains value.

A large ecobrick made from 1,500-milliliter plastic bottles are valued at Rp 1,000 per “brick”, while small ecobricks made from 600 ml plastic bottles are Rp 500 per brick.

“Ecobricks have value as long as they are solid. They are weighed to make sure they meet the standard. A large bottle must weigh 600 grams and a small bottle 250 grams. If they are heavier than this, the plastic might be wet and start to smell, making them unsalable,” said Atim.

The father of two said that ecobricks could be used in place of clay or cement bricks in building walls and fences. “In addition, we also use ecobricks to make sofas,” he said.

Atim makes the ecobrick sofas with the waste bank’s staff and customers. One ecobrick sofa set comprising a two-seater sofa and a table sells for Rp 450,000, while a set comprising a three-seater and one table sells for Rp 650,000. Five ecobrick sofa sets have been sold so far.

Atim did not stop there. He also tried out other innovative ways to reuse plastic waste, turning it into handcraft items like decorative hanging lanterns. “Through these various innovations, we are trying to support the Banjarmasin administration’s policy on reducing plastic bags,” he said.

Atim has not only empowered the local villagers through the waste bank, bus also other residents and youths in the area. They are all involved in a variety of activities related to the waste bank, like weighing, sorting and turning the waste into a range of handcraft products.

“Many people are involved in the waste bank, including the Dasa Wisma [group of women from 10 local families], family welfare [PKK] recipients, youth groups and community leaders in Pekauman village,” he said.

David, 24, a member of the Pammors Youth Organization of Pekauman village, said he was pleased that many youths like him were involved in waste management. “This is a positive activity for us. In addition to maintaining a clean environment, it also makes money,” he said.

Atim said the Morse Indah Waste Bank also provided convenience for its customers to pay their electricity and water bills by depositing garbage.

“In the near future, the customers can turn their waste deposits into gold. This is possible because at the end of 2018, we entered a cooperation with state-owned pawnshop PT Pegadaian. The ‘turning waste into gold’ program will be implemented this year,” said Atim.

The waste bank’s innovative programs and activities are expected to encourage more people to manage their household waste. Community engagement in waste management is vital to maintain a clean and sustainable environment.

“Banjarmasin’s success in winning the Adipura Award for four consecutive years is due to waste banks’ contribution to reducing waste from households – the primary source [of waste]. This achievement must continue,” said Atim, who also chairs the public outreach team at the Banjarmasin Municipal Waste Bank.

Atim Susanto

Born: Purwosari I, Tamban, Barito Kuala, June 4, 1977

Education: Madrasah Aliyah Negeri 3 Marabahan (Class of 1996)

Wife: Aminah, 38

Children: Muhammad Haikal Lukman, 14; Muhammad Rasyid Ridho, 4

Awards:

- Green Pen Award 2017

- Second place, Banjarmasin waste banks (2015)

- First place, Banjarmasin waste banks (2014)

- First place, clean environment, Banjarmasin (2014)

- Second place, clean environment, Banjarmasin (2013)