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Finding the wise way to reduce plastic waste both for consumers and producers
The government is formulating a road map to encourage producers to use more environmentally friendly packaging materials
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In this undated file photo, people living near Matahari Terbit Beach in Sanur, Bali, work together to clear trash, mainly plastic bottles and food packaging, from the beach. (JP/Zul Trio Anggono)
I
t may not be difficult for many people to stop using plastic straws in a restaurant or to bring a tote bag when going shopping, but getting rid of plastic packaging such as that used for cosmetics products may present more of a challenge.
It could be in the form of shampoo sachets, detergent bottles, plastic packaging for sliced bread, or the plastic wrap used for new books. Many people just throw away such plastic packaging and it ends up in landfills or, at worst, in the ocean.
While plastic packaging still plays an important role in the manufacturing industry, there is a growing awareness from the government and certain business players to use more environmentally friendly packaging materials for their products.
The Environment and Forestry Ministry, for example, is formulating a road map to encourage producers to use more environmentally friendly packaging materials that can be recycled and to reduce single-use plastic.
The road map was set to be completed this year, said the ministry’s director general for solid waste, hazardous waste and toxic substance management Rosa Vivien Ratnawati.
Rosa said the road map, known as the extended producer responsibility (EPR), would guide producers to be responsible by reducing waste generated from their goods, packaging and services in the form of plastic, aluminum cans, glass and paper.
“In the road map, we will encourage industry players to redesign their packaging to be more environmentally friendly by phasing out the use of single-use plastics. We will also ask them to provide a drop box for consumers to return post-consumer waste and packaging, so it can be reused or recycled,” she said on the sidelines of recent event held in Jakarta by the British Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia (BritCham) on the multi-stakeholder approach to achieving sustainable packaging and tackling plastic waste.
