Indonesia’s youth clean up trash from waterways, but more permanent solutions are still elusive
- Young volunteers with Situ Gede Cleanliness Warrior, a local clean-up group in Bogor, paddle or kayak across the Situ Gede lake, pick up trash and identify what can be recycled
- Initiatives such as rallies for climate action and local clean-ups have been youth-led, but experts say the larger problem of creating too much waste needs to be addressed
At a lake in the West Javan city of Bogor, children and teenagers paddle towards piles of floating trash, pick it up and store it in their kayaks, before passing it to friends sorting it onshore.
The group of around 20 youngsters started off as a team of one, a decade ago, when Giri Marhara decided to start cleaning up the lake. He was just 16 years old at the time, and already had a penchant for wanting to clean up his environment – from his classroom to his neighbourhood.
Young people like Marhara have been at the forefront of environmental and climate change movements in recent years: initiatives like school strikes for climate action, protests at United Nations climate talks and around the world, and local clean-ups have often been youth-led. When it comes to waste picking, experts say it is a stopgap solution, and the larger problem of creating too much waste needs to be addressed. But the relatively small-scale efforts in Indonesia have resonated with younger people, attracting support and attention.
“For me, cleaning up is catharsis, cleaning up is refreshing,” said Marhara, who would often be asked by children playing nearby if they could help with the clean-ups.
“I don’t want to miss the opportunity to educate kids that this is something that’s positive, something that you should probably try making a habit too,” Marhara said, so he encouraged them to help.
They formed a group last year, called the Situ Gede Cleanliness Warrior, named after the lake. They paddle or kayak across the lake, pick up trash, and identify what can be recycled. A local kayaking group lend their boats to Marhara’s initiative, and members take turns between paddling across the lake or sorting trash shoreside into what can recycled or reused and what will need to be disposed.
Over 10 years, Marhara and his friends have collected more than 2,700kg (5,900 pounds) of trash in and around the Situ Gede lake through various initiatives.