The massive use of plastic bags has been spoiling Jakartans, and residents of other cities, who have been addicted to the environmentally unfriendly products for years. Therefore, the plan of Governor Fauzi Bowo to free the city from plastic bags by next year is commendable although the policy may initially face great challenge.
There is no available data about plastic bag use in the city, but up to one trillion of the un-degradable products are estimated to be used worldwide each day, most ending up as litter or occupying dumpsites for years.
If the program is successful, the city administration will join the governments of several developed cities such as Singapore, Paris, San Francisco, and Seattle, which have successfully freed their cities of plastic bags.
But it is not easy to end the long use of plastic bags, not only because such a policy will affect plastic bag producing companies that will lose their markets, but retailers may also face hostility from customers for not providing plastic bags.
All these challenges should not become reasons for Governor Fauzi to give up his plan. Instead, his administration has to prepare activities to ensure that it will work as scheduled. Together with the City Legislative Council, the city administration needs to immediately draft and deliberate regulations to make the policy enforceable and bind to all parties in the city. Without any legal basis, the city administration has no arm to force relevant parties to abide by the policy.
The move of the city administration to sign an MoU with the Jakarta's branch of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) on the issue is also an important step to ensure that all related businesses will be ready when finally the policy is enforced.
"We expect retailers to stop providing plastic bags and instead encourage customers to take their own bags to shop," Fauzi was quoted by this newspaper recently. "Or if they still want to provide plastic bags, we encourage them to use environmentally friendly bags or bio-degradable plastic ones," he added.
A public campaign on the danger of excessive plastic bag use is also important step to gradually discourage Jakartans from using plastic bags. We appreciate the move by a number of large retailers, which have begun providing environmentally friendly alternatives, instead of spoiling their customers with plastic bags.
There is no reason for Jakartans not to support the plastic-bag free program because up to now, our city has not treated 25,000 tons of solid waste daily produced in the city. We still rely on a waste treatment facility in Bantar Gebang, Bekasi, which are also facing the problem of an increasing production of plastic bag waste.
We still have more than 10 months, which is adequate time for all parties - the city government, plastic bag producing companies, retailers, and all Jakartans - to anticipate the implementation of the policy. The success of this program in Jakarta will be a stepping stone toward being free of plastic bags across the country.
