Recently, there have been many ways to recycle waste, from making organic waste crafts to ideas for recycling plastic waste into items with economic value.

Aside from independent recycling actions, you can contribute to the environment by joining the zero-waste community around you. So, what are the roles of the zero-waste community for the environment? Find the answers below!

The Important Roles of Zero-Waste Community

The zero-waste community has a crucial role in preserving the environment and encouraging collaboration between several parties in realizing nature preservation. Below are the important roles of the zero-waste community:

1. Increasing Awareness

The first role of the zero-waste community is to raise awareness and educate the public about the importance of managing waste and trash properly. The community will hold campaigns and socialization programs to educate the public about the right recycling methods and managing waste responsibly. 

2. Reducing Waste

The zero-waste community surely plays a role in reducing waste around them thanks to their sustainable lifestyle. Community members adopt the habit of using their food containers when buying food or using shopping bags. They will also invite the surrounding community to adopt a sustainable lifestyle to significantly reduce waste in the environment.

3. Developing Recycling Practices

The zero-waste community can develop recycling practices on various levels, such as household waste and massive waste produced by communities or institutions.

Besides, the zero-waste community can establish waste-gathering places and invite the public to deposit their waste to them as an action to preserve the environment. 

Some recycling practices that can be developed are creating waste banks, managing organic waste into compost, recycling plastic waste into new items with sales value, and so on.

4. Monitoring and Controlling the Waste

The zero-waste community also monitors and controls the waste around them so that no one litters or burns the waste irresponsibly, leading to increased pollution. 

5. Holding Activities with Local Community

The zero-waste community also holds environmental conservation activities with the local community. This can increase environmental awareness and solidarity among people in maintaining environmental cleanliness.

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The Examples of Recyclable Waste

Around us, there are many types of waste you should sort to be recycled based on their characteristics. For example, organic waste like rotten fruit and vegetables can be composted.

On the other hand, inorganic waste such as cans and plastic have their own recycling methods so that they can be processed safely and produce new, useful products. The following are examples of waste that can be recycled:

1. Plastic

Plastic is one of the inorganic wastes that can be recycled into various useful products. For example, plastic bottles can be turned into piggy banks or pencil cases. 

Then, the plastic bags can be woven into bags or carpets. Not only that, plastic-based products can also be chopped up and melted to become raw materials for other plastic products.

The process of recycling plastic into raw materials is also carried out by the Chandra Asri Group, where this company has created a new initiative of plastic asphalt that has been used on more than 120 km of roads throughout Indonesia.

In addition to plastic asphalt, the Chandra Asri Group is creating a franchise called CIRCLOⓇ that develops mixed plastic asphalt products from shredded plastic bags.

Along with processing plastic waste, this franchise gives local merchants and recyclers the ability to create standardized asphalt mixture raw materials in compliance with PUPR regulations.

The Chandra Asri Group also educates contractors or asphalt mixing plants (AMP) on how to mix asphalt with plastic bags that have been shredded by local recyclers or traders using the ecosystem for collecting plastic waste.

2. Glass

Glass can be recycled into unique products like flower vases. However, you can also recycle this object into glass crystals, which are processed back into raw materials for production.

3. Cans

Can waste, such as sardines or soda cans, be processed to be unique products like pencil cases and flower pots. Besides, cans can be processed into production materials with minimum quality decrease.

4. Paper

Various types of papers, like HVS, magazines, newspapers, and boxes, can be processed into raw materials for other paper productions. You can break papers in the water and process them with special methods, such as new paper, tissue, or carton. 

5. Waste Cooking Oil

Waste cooking oil cannot be thrown away irresponsibly because it can pollute the environment. Therefore, you can process it into biodiesel raw materials to replace diesel.

This has been done by Chandra Asri Group in collaboration with TUKR (part of Biofront Indonesia) in processing used cooking oil into environmentally friendly fuel. This environmentally friendly tip is important to achieve Net Zero Emission (NZE) by 2060.

6. Organic Waste

Organic waste is relatively easy to recycle because it can decompose naturally in nature with the help of microorganisms. However, you can process it into compost, maggot feed, or biogas.

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Zero-Waste Community in Indonesia

There are various zero-waste communities with sustainable environmental campaigns in Indonesia, like Indonesia Asri..

Chandra Asri Group holds a campaign called Indonesia Asri to increase awareness of Indonesia’s sustainable environment and beautification. Hopefully, it can be a legacy for future generations. 

The good news is you can join and register to be Warga Asri to feel more advantages from campaign programs in Indonesian Asri. 

In Indonesia Asri, there are many environment preservation programs you can join, like sorting waste program (Operasi Semut), educational programs and interesting workshops for beauty enthusiasts through #CircleofBeauty, and the exciting #SiPalingSustainable challenge that you can join.

Who knows, you can get interesting prizes from the small steps you take for the environment. Let’s begin your first step in preserving the environment with Indonesia Asri by registering yourself now!

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