Breaking the plastic habit: The urgent need to address plastic pollution

As the world’s largest archipelago, Indonesia needs to act soon to protect its oceans, or they could become as polluted as Jakarta’s air. Indonesia is the fourth most populous nation in the world with 275 million people, but the second largest plastic polluter after China, according to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).

Although the initial appeal of plastics was understandable because of their lightweight, durable and inexpensive properties, our mismanagement and high rate of consumption of plastics, namely single-use plastics, has resulted in uncontrollable amounts of waste accumulating on our lands and oceans.

This is a serious problem given the properties that make plastic such an attractive product. Plastics will never disappear completely, but will only break down into smaller pieces or microplastics. To make matters worse, when plastics are exposed to sunlight, they produce greenhouse gases.

According to a new study by Cornell University, Indonesian people consume an average of 15 grams or around a tablespoon of microplastics each month, which is associated with “serious health issues such as endocrine disruption, weight gain, insulin resistance, decreased reproductive health and cancer”.

Our plastic problem is so serious that nearly half, or 35,000, of our rivers have been declared “heavily polluted”. The Citarum River, which has been referred to as the “world’s most polluted river” despite being an hour’s drive from Jakarta, is a sad example of a dump site of 20 percent of our plastic pollution (sea-circular.org).

The Citarum River irrigates 400,000 hectares of rice fields and provides water to 80 percent of Jakarta’s population, although its water quality is 1,000 times worse than United States drinking water standards because of contamination from lead, aluminum and manganese.

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But what are the causes of this plastic problem?
There are countless reasons, but I believe the main cause is insufficient waste management, both habitually and infrastructurally. This means that waste is either uncollected, littered or collected in a dump site and left to rot.

I believe that the normalized use of single-use plastics, such as soap sachets, and the lack of awareness of these plastics’ consequences, has paved the way for this mammoth accumulation of plastic pollution in our country. The effects of plastic and its inability to decompose will last up to 500 years, disproportionally affecting the poor.

To address plastic waste, the government has developed a framework and a five-year action plan to significantly reduce plastic pollution. But I am still unconvinced that the change will start with anyone but us.

Although at times it may be easy to adopt a mindset of insignificance because of the immensity of the world, if everyone adopts that mindset, change will most certainly never occur.

Because of this, I propose a phrase that may appeal and serve as a realistic and implementable solution that on an individual level you can carry out to be the change that you want to see. “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.”

This phrase is helpful because it reinforces the reduction of plastic use, as in saying no to extra plastic cutlery, straws and bags, reusing the plastic that you have already accumulated such as plastic bags or bottles, and if you have access, to recycle plastic.

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Additionally, a solution I find especially helpful is investing in a Hydro Flask, or any insulated water bottle. Although a Hydro Flask is relatively expensive at around Rp 600,000 (US$38.63), the investment is worth it considering the damage that 175 plastic bottles you might dump every year will do to the environment.

Be the change that you want to see. Because although Indonesia is not yet a country with readily available options to more significantly reduce its carbon footprint, such as renewable energy sources like solar and hydropower, if we unite and begin to make small changes such as reducing, reusing, recycling and living more sustainably, change is bound to follow.

Jakarta, dubbed the fastest sinking city in the world, will continue to sink at an accelerated rate of up to 15 centimeters per year if we continue our plastic consumption. Plastic that we consume accumulates in rivers, waterways and sewage systems, significantly increasing the impermeability of the city and its ability to discharge.

This means that the more we consume – in addition to rising sea levels caused by climate change – the more solidified the prediction of our city’s submergence by 2050 becomes.

Be the change you want to see and think twice about purchasing plastics, especially single-use plastics.