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Companies join forces to set up new waste management system in Bali

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Jakarta Globe - September 24, 2019

Nur Yasmin, Jakarta – The Alliance to End Plastic Waste, a nonprofit organization comprising more than 30 companies that use plastics in their products, has started work on establishing a sustainable waste management system in Bali's Jembrana district.

The organization has partnered with Project STOP, which works with local governments across Southeast Asia to create effective and circular waste management systems that prevent marine plastic pollution.

"We are proud to welcome the Alliance to End Plastics Waste as a strategic partner of Project STOP, as we share a strong commitment to addressing this major global challenge: stopping the leakage of plastics into the environment," Alfred Stern, chief executive of Borealis, a co-founder of Project STOP, said in a press release the Jakarta Globe received on Monday.

A study has shown that 33,000 metric tons of plastic ends up in the ocean in Bali annually, while Jembrana produces about 13,200 tons of plastic per year. This is due to its large population and lack of appropriate waste management services. This issue is threatening the island's tourism industry, on which residents depend most for their livelihoods.

"In Jembrana, we have an opportunity to work with the local community to build new waste and recycling infrastructure to prevent plastic from leaking into the environment," Procter & Gamble chief executive David Taylor, who also serves as chairman of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, said in the press release.

Taylor said sustainable waste management systems and circular economy models will support the socioeconomic development of communities in Bali.

The three-year partnership will create an economically self-sufficient waste management system, which can be operated by the community later.

The project will conduct studies to trace plastic waste that ends up in the environment and find a way to stop it. It will also hire local workers to manage the new system.

The Alliance to End Plastic Waste and Project STOP will collaborate will the local government to clean up beaches and rivers, educate the members of the community to change their behavior, and create awareness of the need for proper waste disposal.

Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/movement/companies-join-forces-to-set-up-new-waste-management-system-in-bali

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