Thousand Islands Residents Educated on Waste Sorting at Source

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Thousand Islands Environmental Sub-Department (Sudin LH) educated residents of the Thousand Islands to sort waste at the source during the commemoration of National Waste Care Day (HPSN) 2026 on Tidung Island and Untung Jawa Island. “Sorting waste from the source is the main key in reducing waste volume and increasing the effectiveness of environmental management,” said the Head of the Thousand Islands Sudin LH, Aldi Jansen, in Jakarta on Tuesday. He stated that sorting waste at the source is the most basic step and if it runs well in the community, downstream waste management will be much easier and more optimal. He added that as an implementation of HPSN, they held a beach cleanup action at Arsa Beach together with residents and tourists, and 256 kilograms of waste was successfully cleaned and immediately sorted. “There was a total of 90 kg of organic waste, 17 kg of plastic, and 149 kg of residue,” he said. “Through this guidance, we encourage business actors to start sorting waste and managing it properly,” he said. According to him, this series of activities was also filled with motor vehicle emission tests as an effort to control air pollution. In the implementation on Tidung Island, the emission test was participated in by 15 motorbikes and motorised carts (Germor). Nine vehicles passed the test, and six units did not pass. They also planted 1,000 mangrove seedlings and 10 breadfruit tree seedlings on Tidung Island, involving the Saka Kalpataru Scout Movement and collaborating with the Thousand Islands Food Security, Maritime, and Agriculture Sub-Department (KPKP). “We want to ensure that sorting waste at the source becomes a daily habit of the community. Thus, the environment in the Thousand Islands can remain clean, healthy, and sustainable,” he said. The Head of Untung Jawa Island Village, Muslim, said that the implementation of HPSN activities involving various community elements is hoped not to be merely ceremonial, but to become part of ongoing efforts to build an environmental care culture. “We welcome this activity because it is able to increase community awareness, both residents and tourists, to be more caring about environmental cleanliness, especially in sorting waste at the source,” he said.