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Celebrating Idul Adha without single-use plastic bags
Data from Making Oceans Plastic Free reveal that an average of 182.7 billion plastic bags, weighing approximately 1.28 million tonnes, are used in Indonesia every year.
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Day of Sacrifice cartoon (JP/T. Sutanto)
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dul Adha (Day of Sacrifice) is identic with sacrificial activities. On Idul Adha day, wealthier Muslims are obliged to perform a ritual sacrifice by slaughtering animals and then sharing the meat with those in need.
Unfortunately, until now, the distribution of sacrificial meat on Idul Adha still involves single-use plastic. Most qurban (sacrifice) organizers use kresek (single-use plastic bags). This of course adversely affects the environment.
We know that single-use plastic bags are not environmentally friendly. Plastic waste pollutes the environment as it is difficult to decompose.
Data from Making Oceans Plastic Free reveal that an average of 182.7 billion plastic bags, weighing approximately 1.28 million tonnes, are used in Indonesia every year.
Some environmental groups rank Indonesia as the world’s second-largest contributor of ocean plastic waste after China, at 16 percent.
Based on data from the National Waste Management Information System of the Environment and Forestry Ministry, the volume of waste generated in Indonesia in 2022 was 19.45 million tonnes. Of this amount, 18.55 percent was plastic waste.
With the distribution of sacrificial meat during Idul Adha still involving the use of single-use plastic, the religious activities will, unfortunately, contribute to the country’s plastic waste pollution, which runs counter to the teachings of Islam.
