PPA, the Environmental Agency and Local Heroes Collaborate: Residents Trade 2.2 Tonnes of Waste for Staple Foods in Tanah Bumbu

As a concrete contribution to environmental conservation and community empowerment, PT Putra Perkasa Abadi (PPA) Site BIB took part in the collaborative activity Tukar Sampah dengan Sembako (Trade Waste for Staple Foods), held in Tanah Bumbu Regency, South Kalimantan on Sunday (11/05).

The activity was the result of collaboration between a range of parties: the Environmental Agency through its Waste Management Technical Unit, the Bang Julpikar's Central Waste Bank (BSI), the Tanah Bumbu Regency Children's Forum, the Youth for a Beautiful and Clean Environment community, the Environmental Ambassadors/Green Youth Movement, the Kusan Hilir sub-district government and Pokdarwis.

The event was one of the main items in the Pesona Budaya Mappanre Ri Tasi'e 2025 series, an annual cultural tradition of the coastal communities of Tanah Bumbu expressing gratitude for the bounty of the sea. Beyond local residents, the activity also drew participants in the Clean Youth Movement action held along Pagatan Beach, for a total of 245 people.

Through the programme, residents could exchange sorted waste for staple food packages such as rice, cooking oil, sugar, sardines, instant noodles, flour and other basic necessities. In total, 2.2 tonnes of waste were collected during the activity.

At the event, PPA contributed by providing the staple foods to be exchanged for waste. PPA also used the opportunity to set up a waste bank unit and become a member of BSI Julpikar's. Waste banks play an important role in collecting and sorting waste and distributing what has been sorted to various recycling industries or other uses.

The activity is also one expression of the Indonesia Bersih programme launched by the Ministry of Environment, particularly its 30% Waste Reduction target. It likewise aligns with the Priority Programme on Community-Based Waste and Refuse Management, and Improving Waste and Refuse Management Systems for a Cleaner Environment.

"Kami ingin memotivasi berbagai pihak dalam aksi pengurangan sampah dengan program tukar sampah dengan sembako, serta mengedukasi masyarakat bahwa sampah yang dipilah akan menjadi berkah. Harapannya aksi serupa akan kami selenggarakan di berbagai tempat dengan melibatkan berbagai mitra. Dengan goal, di Tanah Bumbu, akan banyak terbentuk bank sampah unit baik tingkat RT/RW dan kelurahan, sehingga angka pengurangan sampah bisa meningkat," explained Indah Maya Suryanti, Head of the Waste and Hazardous Waste Management Division at the Tanah Bumbu Regency Environmental Agency, who attended the event accompanied by the director of BSI Bang Julpikar's.

The high volume of waste collected reflects just how much inorganic waste the community generates in daily life. It underlines the need for closer attention to and more serious handling of waste management. At the same time, the strong turnout shows that environmental conservation efforts can attract genuine public enthusiasm, especially when packaged well and connected directly to people's needs.

This was not the first such activity but the third, and it will continue on a sustained basis across every sub-district. The programme works consistently with Local Heroes such as BSI Bang Julpikar's, along with parties seen as able to spread information and raise public awareness about waste reduction and the economic value of sorting waste — among them germas and posyandu community health initiatives.

"Kami akan terus bersinergi bersama semua pihak dalam membangun semangat masyarakat untuk meningkatkan kesadaran dalam menjaga kelestarian dan kebersihan lingkungan," said Handoko, CSR Group Leader at PPA Site BIB.

PPA is committed not only to running its business operations sustainably, but also to contributing actively to environmental conservation and community empowerment along the way. Through collaboration with a range of stakeholders, local communities and residents, PPA believes positive change can be achieved. Going forward, PPA will continue to encourage initiatives that make a real difference to nature and to the quality of life of the communities around its operational areas.