West Jakarta Waste Workers Build ‘Camel’ Boat from 3,000 Bottles

A ‘Camel’ boat assembled from thousands of discarded bottles has caught the attention of visitors at Sunter Lake in North Jakarta. The boat was built by the Cengkareng Waterbody Waste Management Unit in West Jakarta.

The Camel boat was one of several unusual vessels exhibited at the 2026 Cinta Lingkungan (Love the Environment) Festival, organised by the Jakarta Provincial Government through the Waste Management Unit of the Environmental Agency’s Waterbody Division. The festival, featuring a parade of 43 boats, was held at Sunter Lake in North Jakarta.

Donal, a member of the Cengkareng Waterbody Waste Management Unit, described how the camel boat was made. He said the team used 3,380 water bottles and 500 discarded water jugs.

“We are currently using nearly 3,380 mineral-water bottles and 500 water jugs,” Donal said at the festival venue at Sunter Lake on Sunday (18 October 2026).

Donal said work on the camel boat took three months. He explained that other materials recovered in the Cengkareng area were also used.

“We worked on it from July to September, for three months. Besides plastic bottles, we used foam from a refrigerator that we found in a river or elsewhere. We also used a refrigerator, plywood and aluminium,” he said.

Donal explained why the team chose a camel theme. He said the camel symbolised the need to carry out one’s work with steadfastness and integrity.

“From the outset, the theme was inspired by the boat as a symbol of life’s journey. The camel is an encouragement, or a reminder, that we must be steadfast and trustworthy in carrying out our work,” he added.

Another entry came from the Tambora Waterbody Waste Management Unit, whose boat was designed around a golden koi fish. Participants also wore distinctive traditional costumes.

Other boat themes included dragons, tigers, the mythical Garuda bird, peacocks, black panthers and warships.

Jakarta Provincial Secretary Uus Kuswanto said he hoped the event would serve as an educational platform for the public. The creativity shown by the boat-makers, he said, should inspire residents.

“The event is also an engaging educational platform, particularly for children, to learn the importance of sorting waste from an early age. We hope the creativity on display will inspire people to adopt similar habits in their daily lives,” Uus said.