Indonesia has been announced in a Science.org report (2021) as the 5th largest emitter of marine plastic waste, emitting 56,333 metric tons of plastic into the oceans every year. In an effort to raise awareness to this problem, non-profit organization Indonesia Indah Foundation hosted Hari Bersih Indonesia, a national clean-up day that invites citizens and residents of
Indonesia to care for the environment by picking up litter from their neighborhoods. The event
challenges people to raise awareness to the problem of waste and littering while helping to
reduce the amount of litter that ends up in rivers and waterways, and ultimately, the oceans.
The initiative is volunteer-based, and on this year’s national clean–up day, over 76 thousand
volunteers, from individuals, to schools, businesses, government and non-government
organisations, cleaned up in teams spread across 34 provinces in Indonesia.
In Bali, Hari Bersih Indonesia collaborated with One Island One Voice, an island-wide clean-up
run by Bye Bye Plastic Bags. On the Island of the Gods, over 12,000 volunteers collected
28.8 tons of litter, made up mostly of Plastic Bags (13%), Plastic Straws (12%), Styrofoam (6%)
and Plastic Cups (11%), and Plastic Bottles (6%).
Hari Bersih Indonesia also worked with communities and NGOs such as Fornas Rintara Jaya
and Drivers Clean Action to mobilize clean-ups in rural areas and on Indonesia’s islands. In
other parts of Indonesia, businesses including PT Adaro Energy Indonesia, Eiger and
Trakindo, mobilized their employees at all of their nationwide branches to take to the streets
and make a change. In Jakarta, over 700 volunteers marched down Jl. Thamrin and Jl. Sudirman on Car Free Day
while collecting trash, in an effort to raise awareness to the mounting plastic problem.
Celebrities spotted on the march included actor and eco-preneur Hamish Daud, as well as
businessman Chia Ah Hoo, Director at PT Adaro Energy Indonesia, who were seen picking
up litter on Jakarta’s main street of Jalan Sudirman. The march ended at Thamrin 10, where
Festival Hari Bersih Indonesia was held in collaboration with Jakarta’s Government, and in
honor of Hari Peduli Sampah Nasional (National Trash Awareness Day). The Festival
showcased organizations working to reduce Indonesia’s waste footprint, and featured
performances by rock artist Nugie, and speeches from Jakarta Governor, Drs. Heru Budi
Hartono, M.M.
Founders of this national-scale event born in 2019 are non-profit organization, Indonesia Indah
Foundation (IIF). Partnering with IIF on this event for its fourth consecutive year is Square
Resources Holdings Pte Ltd, who are committed to supporting IIF in the organization’s efforts to
groom more environmentally sustainable citizens across Indonesia. “IIF does an outstanding job
in disseminating an important issue, regarding environmental sustainability, in layman terms to
empower the grassroots level to take preliminary steps towards caring for the environment,”
said Staffan Ever, Managing Director of Square Resources Holding Singapore Pte Ltd.
Angela Jelita Richardson, Founder and Chairwoman of Indonesia Indah Foundation,
shares her excitement at the success of this year’s colossal clean-up.
“After two years of not being able to do mass-scale clean-ups due to Covid restrictions, we were
thrilled at this year’s turnout and achievements,” Richardson shares. “Volunteers united, and
together we were able to collect over 426 tons of waste that would have otherwise ended up in
the oceans. It’s time everyone played their part in the reduction and management of plastic
waste – from the companies creating it, to the consumers purchasing it – if we all came
together, we could solve this problem once and for all.”