Plastic waste become one of the homework that must be completed in Indonesia. This is because Indonesia is the second largest producer of plastic waste in the world after China. According to data from the Indonesian Plastic Industry Association (Inaplas) and the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) in 2021, Indonesia's plastic waste will reach 66 million tons per year.
Of this amount, as much as 3.2 million tons were wasted into the sea. With such a large number, there will be serious problems for the sustainability of the environment and humans. This is because plastic waste can only decompose naturally within 100-500 years. If no action is taken, plastic waste will accumulate. Piles of plastic waste on land will become pollutants that pollute the soil. Meanwhile, if burned, plastic waste produces toxins that can cause serious diseases. Then,
Cheap price
Raw materials are cheap and easy to obtain, making plastics still relied on by many industry players. This is also considered to save business operating costs. Just try to check the items that are around or that are often used in everyday life. Starting from household furniture, electronic equipment, to packaging, there is an element of plastic.
Plastic waste is dominated by product packaging
Based on data from Inaplas, 65 percent of plastic waste in Indonesia comes from packaging for daily necessities. As many as 60 percent of them come from the food and beverage industry. On the other hand, the public as product consumers do not yet have the awareness to use plastic wisely. Disposal of plastic packaging waste is still done carelessly without sorting it out first. This leads to an increase in the amount of plastic waste.
Only 10 percent of plastic waste is recycled
In Indonesia, based on data from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (LHK) in 2019, only 10 percent of the total plastic waste per year is recycled. The rest, 90 percent left alone. The Ministry of Environment and Forestry also found that only 60 percent of the total plastic waste per year is transported to the landfill. Then, the remaining 30 percent is not managed to pollute the environment.
Garbage sorting in the household is not going well
In Indonesia, household waste is not segregated properly, either independently or at the final disposal site (TPA). In the end, all waste will only be collected in one landfill. This is due to a number of factors, such as the lack of public awareness of waste sorting. In addition, the sorting facilities at TPA specifically for reduce, reuse, and recycle (3R) in Indonesia are limited and not well managed.
Microplastics pollute seawater
Of the total plastic waste in Indonesia, at least 10 percent of it is thrown into the sea through rivers. Residents of riverbanks and coastal areas also contribute to the pollution. When floating in the ocean, plastic will break down into very small microplastics. These fragments float in the ocean without being decomposed, even at risk of being swallowed by plankton which is the smallest food chain of the marine ecosystem. Fish that eat these organisms will automatically be affected. Floating plastic can also damage marine ecosystems, such as coral reefs. Based on research conducted by Joleah B Lamb in 2018, plastic can trigger the colonization of pathogenic microbes that cause diseased coral reefs. Plastic also blocks sunlight so coral reefs cannot photosynthesize.
Those are five facts about plastic waste. Based on these facts, steps to prevent the accumulation of plastic waste must be taken. If not, the impact on the environment in the future is no joke. One of the steps to save the environment from the dangers of plastic waste can be done by reducing the use of plastic. Start getting used to buying routine consumption products, which use non-plastic and environmentally friendly materials.