'Trash donors' sought for charity<\/p>\n
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
\"Killing two birds with one stone\" is not an empty proverb for
\nlow-cost apartment residents built by Taiwan-based Buddha Tzu Chi
\nFoundation in Cengkareng Timur, West Jakarta.<\/p>\n
They not only help clean up some parts of the city by
\ncollecting non-organic waste from nearby areas but also sort it
\ninto three categories of paper, plastic and aluminum cans before
\nselling it.<\/p>\n
The money derived from the non-organic waste is to finance the
\nfoundation's charities, which have been ongoing for seven months.<\/p>\n
So far, the residents have collected waste from houses, shops,
\nrestaurants and other small firms that have agreed to \"donate\"
\ntheir garbage to the foundation.<\/p>\n
\"We collect the (non-organic) waste door to door and we are
\nstill seeking more 'donors',\" Abdul Muis, property management
\ndivision head of PT Graha Bina Mandiri, told The Jakarta Post on
\nMonday.<\/p>\n
PT Graha Bina Mandiri is the company that manages the low-cost
\napartments, which are currently occupied by some 1,100 families.
\nThe residents had been evicted from Kapuk Muara riverbanks, North
\nJakarta, and started to live in the apartments in August 2003.<\/p>\n
Abdul declined to mention the profit gained from the sale of
\nthe non-organic waste but beritajakarta.com quoted the foundation
\ndeputy chairman Sugianto Kusuma as saying that it had collected
\nsome Rp 65 million (US$7,222).<\/p>\n
Abdul said around 750 residents in three luxury housing
\ncomplexes in Ancol Timur, Ancol Barat and Muara Karang and 50
\nfirms and individuals in other parts of Greater Jakarta have
\nagreed to donate their non-organic waste.<\/p>\n
The agreement allows apartment residents to collect the
\ngarbage from house owners and the firms every two weeks.<\/p>\n
Each resident is given two plastic bags by the foundation. The
\ngreen bags are for plastic waste while the yellow ones are for
\ncans or aluminum waste. For cardboard and paper, house owners and
\nthe firms just tie it up and put it outside their premises.<\/p>\n
To pick up the waste, the foundation uses a garbage truck and
\nwill rent another one if necessary.<\/p>\n
\"When picking up the waste, the truck crew usually put on
\nmusic that will signal house owners and company staff to come out
\nof their premises and hand over their waste to us,\" Abdul said.<\/p>\n
The foundation can collect up to seven tons of waste in a
\nmonth.<\/p>\n
To expand the business, the foundation management has met with
\nresidents in Kelapa Gading and will soon meet with those in
\nSunter Agung, both in North Jakarta, to collect more \"garbage
\ndonations\". Abdul estimated that there would be around 1,350
\nprospective donors in both areas.<\/p>\n
He added that the foundation also plans to meet residents in
\nthe elite residential areas of Pondok Indah in South Jakarta and
\nBumi Serpong Damai in Tangerang.<\/p>\n
In the long run, the foundation aims to produce recycled items
\nfrom the non-organic waste.<\/p>\n
\"The objective is to change garbage into gold and the gold
\nwill become love among human beings. We hope we can help
\nmaterialize the dream of the poor to have a decent life through
\ncharity,\" said Sugianto, adding that the activity was inspired by
\na similar activity in Taiwan.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/trash-donors-sought-for-charity-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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