'It's high time to take recycling seriously'

'It's high time to take recycling seriously'

In observance of World Environment Day on Sunday, The Jakarta
Post interviewed some Jakarta people about the public's awareness
of the need to conserve natural resources. Some residents shared
their views about the importance of recycling.

Eko, 28, works for a business magazine on Jl. HR Rasuna Said
in Kuningan, South Jakarta. He lives in Klender, East Jakarta.

I think many people do not really care about environmental
issues. Many do not even know that we can reuse used paper for
other purposes. In my office, we often use the blank side of used
sheets of paper in the printer to reduce the overall amount of
paper we use.

We have to bear in mind that the paper we use was produced
from trees. The more paper we use, the more we trees will be cut
down.

Personally, I also notice that many residents cannot
differentiate between organic waste and inorganic waste, and
frequently put it in the wrong bins. I think the administration
should educate people about this by, for example, providing more
separate garbage bins organic and inorganic waste across the
capital.

Timi, 23, is a graduate of the Help University in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia. He lives with his parents in Bintaro, South
Jakarta.

Recycling is something that everybody should be doing today.
I'm not talking about factories but individuals in their own
homes. This habit has to be inculcated in our youth, especially
given the city's garbage problems.

I don't really know why our government hasn't done more to
familiarize people with recycling. I'm not even sure if there's
are any recycling bins in public places in the city.

It's high time for the city administration to take this matter
seriously as we know that other countries have integrated
recycling into the daily lives of people. They should provide
recycling bins that are separate from normal trash cans, and
promote public awareness of this

--The Jakarta Post