Deputy Coordinating Minister for Food launches waste-free independence campaign at ULM
Deputy Coordinating Minister for Food (Wamenko Pangan) Hanif Faisol Nurofiq has launched the campaign ‘Youth Clean-up Action: Merdeka dari Sampah’ at Lambung Mangkurat University (ULM) as part of the World Cleanup Day commemoration observed on 20 September.
“Coinciding with the 81st anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia, this campaign is an invitation to the younger generation to achieve freedom from waste through the #kami13juta movement,” Hanif said in Banjarmasin on Tuesday.
He explained that the campaign will run for more than two months, from 17 August to 28 October 2026.
The campaign targets young people across all Indonesian provinces as the driving force behind clean-up actions and behavioural change in waste management, spanning campus environments, communities, and coastal and rural areas in various regions.
Through the hashtag #kami13juta, the organisers are inviting millions of young people from Sabang to Merauke to take part in concrete actions to keep the environment, rivers and coastal areas free from waste, in line with the global mission of World Cleanup Day, which this year is being observed simultaneously in more than 211 countries on 20 September 2026.
Hanif expressed full support for the activity and expressed confidence that small habits developed now can have a real impact in the future.
“Hopefully this will spread the spirit of education and build our cultural capacity to become a developed nation in the future,” he said.
In line with the deputy minister, ULM Rector Professor Ahmad Alim Bachri stated that universities do not only serve as centres of education and scientific development, but also carry out community service so that they can have a real impact beyond the campus.
“We are establishing a student activity unit focused on waste awareness, which is expected to represent ULM in working with the regional government of South Kalimantan on waste management,” he said.
Andy Bahari, National Leader of World Cleanup Day Indonesia, expressed appreciation for the cross-sector collaboration in this campaign.
The initiative is also supported by RiveCaReGeneration, a movement for the restoration of rivers and waterways, and ATNESA (Rural Farmers and Fishermen Youth), which focuses on youth empowerment in the agriculture and fisheries sectors in rural areas.
This support strengthens the pentahelix approach in the campaign, which involves government, academia, youth communities, and environmental and coastal activist organisations.
The campaign series will feature various clean-up actions, waste sorting education, and youth community engagement activities held simultaneously in various provinces across Indonesia, with ULM serving as the national launch point.