SIG launches ‘Recycle for Good’ program, boosting recycling in Indonesia

INDONESIA – The SIG Way Beyond Good Foundation has launched the Recycle for Good Program in Indonesia, rewarding low-income consumers to recycle.

With the Recycle for Good program, SIG and the SIG Way Beyond Good Foundation want to encourage the public to drop off recyclable waste such as beverage cartons, glass, plastic or cooking oil at a collection point and thus return it to the cycle.

In return, they will receive food vouchers or coupons for other goods and services that they can exchange at Recycle for Good partners. The materials are sorted on-site and recycled by a recycling partner.

Holger Dickers, executive director of the SIG Way Beyond Good Foundation, said: “Together with its partners, the foundation’s purpose is to identify, drive and promote activities and projects that strengthen civil society and create positive impacts for the environment.

“To do so, people need to start taking small steps to lead a more environmentally friendly lifestyle.”

In March, Indonesia became the first country in South East Asia to adopt the program with a Recycle for Good drop point at Cibubur Junction in East Jakarta. Later, the program will be replicated.

“We are very happy to launch the Recycle for Good program in South East Asia, starting with Indonesia,” added Angela Lu, president and general manager of Asia Pacific-South at SIG.

“Indonesia is one of the countries in the region that has taken action to address environmental issues and SIG is also taking part through Recycle for Good.”

The program comes at a time when Indonesia has a 7 percent recycling rate of plastic, although specific types such as PET bottles are recycled at a rate of nearly 70 percent.

To support the recycling and management of plastic, the government in 2016, introduced plastic bag tax (200 rupiah / US$0.01 per bag) for a trial period of 3 months at selected retailers in 23 cities including Jakarta.

The Ministry of Industry has been considering increasing biobased plastic consumption to 5% of total national plastic consumption.

The use of bioplastic in the country in 2016 was less than 1% or around 3,000 tonnes per year. The country also intends to achieve: MSW including plastic waste reduction by promoting and implementing various national regulations as the National Policy and Strategy on Solid Waste Management and plastic waste management, Government Regulation concerning Special Solid Waste Management, Promoting and implementing EPR Policy and Implementing the 10-year roadmap for EPR Implementation.

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