Celebrating Lebaran with Waste Collection Earnings
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·5 minutes read
Kompas/Rhama Purna Jati
Anggrek 5 Waste Bank head Ekawati Prayitno (orange headscarf) gives out savings books and parcels to customers on Friday (16/6) in Jati Padang subdistrict, Pasar Minggu district, South Jakarta.
In the eyes of these women, garbage is like scattered gold just waiting to be picked up and exchanged for money. They can now reap the rewards to fulfill their Lebaran needs.
Five gunnysack waste bags are placed next to the other behind the house of Aminah, 69, in Rawajati sub-district, Pancoran district, South Jakarta, on Friday June 16. As a customer of a waste bank, she no longer throws garbage away, but sorts them by type to deposit to the “bank.” From her waste collections, she has been able to buy Lebaran clothes for her family.
Aminah has been a customer of the Rawajati Pilot Waste Bank for two years. Aminah does not allow rubbish to be scattered around her house anymore. In fact, she takes the garbage in her yard and sometimes asks for the garbage of her neighbors that are not waste bank customers.
Every Thursday, Aminah deposits 40-60 kilograms of garbage, from plastic, paper, cardboard, drinking bottles to broken chairs and televisions. All of these things are deposited and given a price by the waste bank management. “Apart from making the house and village clean, the waste bank also give us additional income,” she said.
Aminah, who makes a living by selling children’s snacks, can earn Rp 300,000-Rp 500,000 from her garbage collection every four months. “With the money from the waste collection, I can donate to the mosque. I can also buy Lebaran clothes for me and my children,” she said.
Aminah is not the only one to have felt the benefit of the waste bank. There are 742 customers of the Rawajati Pilot Waste Bank, most of whom are Rawajati sub-district residents. Total savings have so far reached Rp 25 million. The waste bank, which stands on a 10 meters x 16-meter plot of land, is busy almost every day.
The management of Rawajati Waste Bank, led by Sylvia Ernita, has made the most out of the limited land. When Kompas visited the waste bank, there were piles for organic and non-organic waste. There was also a hydroponic garden, which used organic fertilizers from the waste bank.
Inside the office there are handicraft products made from waste by the bank’s management. There is a tissue box, tray, bag and flower vase that have been magically made out of newspapers or used plastic.
Sylvia said the number of locals who have registered to become customers of the waste bank has continued to rise since it first opened in 2010. Almost every week, 2-3 new customers register. Every month, 3 tons of non-organic and 970 kg of organic waste is collected. The waste bank gives a price to each kind of waste. The cheapest of them is mixed waste, which is priced at Rp 300 per kg. Newspapers are priced at Rp 1,100 per kg, plastic bottles at Rp 3,000 per kg and aluminum at Rp 6,000 per kg.
Other than giving economic benefits, the waste bank also maintains the sustainability of the environment. Of the 3 tons of non-organic waste, only 100 kg ends up in the garbage dump. The rest is reused. Of the 970 kg of organic waste collected only 20 kg is processed into organic fertilizers.
Meat to eat
Not far from Rawajati, Sri Miswati, 53, a customer of Belimbing Waste Bank, looked delighted after receiving Rp 2 million for the garbage she had been saving.
The money will be used to make her Lebaran celebration more special. “So when Lebaran comes, we can eat beef, chicken opor, all the delicious things, not salted fish again,” Wati joked.
To earn this financial reward, it took her a year of collecting and thousands of kilograms of garbage. “I’m excited to see garbage,” Wati said.
Belimbing Waste Bank head Diah Lawiyani, 48, said she was happy that one of her members had managed to reap the rewards of their hard work. Aside from cleaning up the environment, people also develop discipline for saving and picking up garbage.
The waste bank, which was established in 2013, now has 120 customers in Jati Padang and Ciganjur sub-districts. Together, they have collected thousands of kilograms of garbage.
“Who would have thought garbage could be a blessing for the celebration of Lebaran,” Diah said.
Preserving the environment
From saving garbage for nine months, Nur Hasanah, 53, managed to earn Rp 1,037,000. This was the biggest balance at Anggrek 05 Waste Bank, Jati Padang sub-ditstrict.
“Not bad for Lebaran,” said Caca, the nickname of Nur Hasanah, as she counted her money. Last year, Caca only received Rp 500,000. Now, her income has grown because she collected more garbage from her own house and also from the streets.
“If I see a can on the street, I step on it so that it becomes flat. When nobody is around, I pick it up and put it in my bag,” Caca said.
It is no wonder that she brings a plastic bag everywhere she goes. Caca swiftly picks up any plastic scattered on the ground.
“It winds me up to see rubbish being left like that,” she said.
Caca is not alone. Yuliani, 58, also has the same “syndrome.” Whenever she sees rubbish scattered around, Yuliani does not hesitate to pick it up. From collecting garbage, Yuliani received 430,000 this year.
“Prices of things are getting more expensive. If we don’t look for additional income, it will not be enough,” Caca said.
Anggrek 05 Waste Bank head Ekawati Prayitno said that other than giving fresh funds, the waste bank also spreads the spirit of cleanliness.
If it’s like this, it is would not be surprising to see women treating waste as a blessing.
