Ecoton’s Education Exhibition of The Hazards of Plastic Sachets in Wonosalam

Visitor Pose in the plastic bottle waste aisle (3/3/2022)

Ecoton Foundation together with Nusantara River expedition team held an educational exhibition on the dangers of plastic entitled "Reject Sachetan Coffee" at Kedai Tanah Senja yard, Wonosalam Village, Wonosalam District, Jombang, Thursday (3/3/2022). This activity intend to convey river conditions and educate cafe visitors about the dangers of single-use plastic. In this exhibition, participants are invited to observe microplastics in the waters as well as observe them under a microscope. "Exhibition visitors not only see photo displays but also practice to identify microplastics by taking samples of river water and observe it under a microscope," said Kholid Basyaiban. 

"Coffee sachet waste is one of the polluters in the Brantas river, so its use must be controlled," said Eka Chlara Budiarti, furthermore, the alumnus of the Department of Chemistry at Diponegoro University Semarang explained that coffee sachets are included in the type of residual waste that cannot be recycled because it is composed of several layers or multilayer. "To make coffee sachets, it is composed of 4 layers of plastic types, namely an inner layer of polypropylene and aluminum foil, a security layer, a laminated layer of polyurethane plastic and an outer layer of high density polyethylene plastic. This type of multilayer wrap or sachet cannot be recycled eventually ended up being burned which polluted the toxic gas dioxin," said Chlara. Through this exhibition in Wonosalam, it is hoped that it can educate the public about the dangers of sachets.

Exhibition visitors measure the water quality (3/3/2022)

Coordinator of the Brantas XOXO Plastics Exhibition Kholid Basyaiban said Wonosalam was chosen as the exhibition venue, because it is located in the Wonosalam area, which is the Upper Brantas River area where water flowing from the upstream area will flow into the Brantas River, so it is important to educate the public and tourist visitors in the Wonosalam area. In addition, Cafe Visitors are also very active and care about waste, especially plastic waste and straws. " 

Meanwhile, Nadya Ariyani, a student at the Faculty of Psychology, Hang Tuah University, as the organizing committee, said that the Brantas XOXO exhibition attracted the attention of cafe visitors. One of the visitors also just found out that the massive use of plastic affects hormones and wants to know about the dangers of single-use plastics that pollute the Brantas river. Visitors also saw microplastics and the dangers of microplastics to the health.

Sachets split into microplastics

Visitors observing microplastics with a macroscope (3/3/2022) 

The amount of plastic sachet waste in the river due to exposure to the sun, friction with the river bank will gradually fragmented or break into small pieces called microplastics. "Sachet waste that is found in rivers will break up into small pieces under 5 mm called microplastics, then microplastics will absorb pollutants in the water such as heavy metals, pesticides and detergents," said Chlara explaining the process of microplastics occurring in dozens of exhibition visitors, this senior ECOTON researcher continued to explained that fish in the river will consume microplastics and in the fish stomach heavy metal pollutants, detergents and pesticides will be absorbed in the metabolism of fish and will affect the quality of fish meat and have an impact on humans who consume fish contaminated with microplastics. "What's worrying is that 82% of the fish in the Brantas River are contaminated with microplastics, so my advice is to urge the public to reduce the use of coffee sachets and other types of single-use waste so that we can reduce microplastics pollution in the Brantas river," said Chlara. The plastic cast in Wonosalam will be held until Sunday, 6 March 2022.