PGN launches plastic waste exchange programme for vehicle BBG fuel

Jakarta (ANTARA) - PT Perusahaan Gas Negara (PGN), Pertamina’s gas subholding, has launched a programme to exchange plastic bottles for vouchers to fill up Biofuel Gas (BBG) for the Bajaj Gas Community (Komogas) as support for low-emission transportation. Through the programme held to celebrate PGN’s 61st anniversary, PGN Corporate Secretary Fajriyah Usman stated that each collected plastic bottle is valued at Rp400, with a maximum exchange of 61 bottles per participant. “Through this programme, we want to invite the public to jointly build a culture of environmental care while supporting the use of cleaner energy,” she said in her statement in Jakarta on Monday. In addition to reducing plastic waste, she added, this initiative is part of the company’s commitment to implementing a circular economy, where the collected waste will be processed back into valuable products. The programme is presented to encourage active public participation in plastic waste management while strengthening the utilisation of more environmentally friendly energy through BBG use. “We hope this programme can become a small step that brings a big impact, both in reducing plastic waste and increasing public awareness to switch to more environmentally friendly energy,” said Fajriyah. Meanwhile, President Director of PT Gagas Energi Indonesia (PGN Gagas), Santiaji Gunawan, stated that the current plastic waste management problem is a shared challenge that requires active involvement from various parties. Moreover, he continued, the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) projects that all Final Disposal Sites (TPAS) in Indonesia could be full by 2030 if not balanced with more sustainable waste management. “Through this programme, we want to encourage awareness that plastic waste does not have to end up in TPAS, but can be reprocessed into products that have utility and economic value,” he said. He explained that the exchange of plastic bottles can be done at PGN’s head office, where all the collected waste will later be managed together with Kertabumi Recycling Centre before being forwarded to Bank Sampah Al-Bustaniyah to be reprocessed through the Plastic Waste to Souvenir method, transformed into higher-value products such as furniture and paving blocks. Coordinator of the Bajaj Gas Community (Kobagas), Muslikhudin, appreciated PGN’s step in presenting the plastic bottle exchange programme for BBG vouchers, which he assessed could help increase community members’ awareness of the importance of plastic waste management and provide direct benefits to gas bajaj drivers. He hopes that such activities can continue and be expanded so that more people are involved in waste management while supporting the use of cleaner and more environmentally friendly energy.