'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