Innovation

For most of Depok’s residents, household waste is considered a problem. It has no value and is worthless, smells bad, is dirty, pollution, and difficult to find a landfill for, has no benefits and many other problems.

The “Rumah Harum” waste bank innovates by trying to change the mindset of Depok residents who initially saw it as "problem" into seeing it as "something that has value and benefits."

The waste bank acts as the collector and receiver of household waste from the residents. Besides the general household waste (used plastic, paper, cardboard, bottles, metal and others), the waste bank also receives used cooking oil through its program “Cooking Oil Alms”.

The collected and received household waste from the residents will be calculated in terms of value. The value of the household waste will then be converted into the resident’s savings account. The residents can use its account balance for the needs of the community. Specifically for the used cooking oil program, for every 5 liters of used cooking oil deposited by residents, the waste bank will replace it with 1 liter of new cooking oil.

The collected household waste (such as used plastic, paper, cardboard, bottles, metal and others) will be sold by the waste bank to the waste processing plant for further recycling processing, while the used cooking oil will be sold by the waste bank to the used cooking oil processing plant to be processed into Bio-Diesel.

The collected household waste is classified by the waste bank workers

Inspiration

The activity of collecting used goods from household waste is commonly known by the public. Some people even do it as their day to day profession and activity. Some of them were even considered to be quite well-established economically. However, the activity is carried out in the final phase of the waste disposal process, when the waste has been transferred into the landfill. Those processes do not involve the community at large. Waste remains a problem for the community at large.

The idea of making a waste bank then emerged as a form of household waste management solution, by involving the residents and carrying it out at the initial phase of the waste management process, since the household waste was in the house of the residents.

It is inline with the government program, and at the same time aims to maximize the value and benefits from the household waste that was initially dumped. At the very end, a society is aware of the importance of proper waste management so that a healthy and beautiful environment is formed.

Overall impact

Impacts of the presence of waste bank to the society are:

• The residents who initially had to pay something so that their household waste is taken, now they are getting paid so that their household waste is taken.
• The residents' used cooking oil which initially had no value, now has value. Every 5 liters of used cooking oil values at 1 liter of new cooking oil.
• With the proper management of household waste, the environment becomes cleaner, healthier and more beautiful.
• Jobs are indirectly open for the residents who do not have formal education backgrounds

Impacts of the presence of waste bank to the environment are:

• With the proper management of plastic waste and by recycling it, environmental pollution due to plastic waste is expected to be reduced.
• With the proper management of paper waste and by recycling it, the rate of deforestation by the paper producers is expected to be reduced.
• With the proper management of used cooking oil, the water channel is no longer contaminated with used cooking oil.
• With the proper management of used cooking oil to be processed into Bio Diesel, it is expected to reduce the number for the use of fossil fuels for transportation purposes.
• With the proper management of household waste, air pollution due to the waste burning process is expected to be reduced.
• With the presence of 32 waste management units and 600 waste banks in Depok City, the volume of waste disposed of to landfills is reduced by 56%.

Business benefit

The collected household waste (such as used plastic, paper, cardboard, bottles, metal and others) will be sold by the waste bank to the waste processing plant for recycling. While the used cooking oil will be sold by the waste bank to the used cooking oil processing plant to be processed further into Bio-Diesel. At the very end, the waste bank will get the profit of the collected household waste.

All of this process is conducted collectively, involving the community at large. Mutual relationships between the parties shall automatically arise. The waste bank depends on the residents as their supplier and the residents depend on the waste bank to receive their household waste. In the long term, the business will be able to survive for a long time period due to this mutual relationship.

As the waste bank program aligns with the government program, the support from the government shall also continue to be provided in order to support the waste bank program.

Social and environmental benefit

No poverty. With the presence of the waste bank, residents who initially had to pay something so that their household waste is taken, now they are getting paid so that their household waste is taken. With the presence of the waste bank, residents' used cooking oil which initially had no value, now has value. Every 5 liters of used cooking oil values at 1 liter of new cooking oil. Jobs are indirectly open for the residents who do not have formal education backgrounds.

Clean Water. With the presence of the waste bank and proper management of household waste, residents no longer dump their household waste into the river. With the presence of the waste bank and proper management of used cooking oil, the water channel is no longer contaminated with used cooking oil.

Clean Energy. With the presence of the waste bank and proper management of used cooking oil to be processed into Bio Diesel, it is expected to reduce the number for the use of fossil fuels for transportation purposes.

Responsible consumption and production. With the presence of the waste bank, society is aware of the importance of proper waste management so that a healthy and beautiful environment is formed. With the presence of the waste bank and proper management of household waste, the environment becomes cleaner, healthier and more beautiful. With the presence of the waste bank and proper management of plastic waste and by recycling it, environmental pollution due to plastic waste is expected to be reduced. With the presence of the waste bank and proper management of paper waste and by recycling it, the rate of deforestation by the paper producers is expected to be reduced. With the presence of the waste bank and proper management of household waste, air pollution due to the waste burning process is expected to be reduced.

Interview

Hermansyah, Mr