"STOP! USING SINGLE-USE PLASTIC BOTTLES IN THE 2024 PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE"

Thara sent a letter to the KPU via The Wringinanom Post Office (1/29/2024)

Monday (29/1/2024) River Warrior Indonesia Coordinator, Thara Bening Sandrina sent a letter proposing to stop the use of drinking water in single-use plastic bottles to the chairman of the KPU via the Wringinanom branch post office, Gresik Regency. "As the organizing institution for the 2024 Election, the KPU has an important role in transforming the values ​​of environmental awareness in the development of Indonesian democracy and encouraging the birth of national leaders who are committed to saving the earth," said Thara Clear Sandrina, further explaining that a student at the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Affairs, Airlangga University, said that his proposal not to use single-use plastic bottles has 4 positive things, namely reducing the amount of single-use plastic waste produced, environmental education/awareness, more efficient and economical and as a form of social accountability, because as an institution that has a big influence, the KPU can play an active role in encourage positive changes in people's behavior regarding the use of single-use plastic. Thara sent a letter to the KPU via the Wringinanom Post Office

In the Cawapres debate on January 21 2024, one of the Cawapres questioned one of the candidates who was accused of still using single-use plastic bottles, even though the other cawapres used tumblers, but the Success Team of one of the candidate pairs explained that drinking water in single-use plastic bottles was provided by the KPU. The use of drinking water in single-use plastic bottles is one of the producers of plastic waste which is now a problem in Indonesia. "Indonesia is known as the second largest country in the world that contributes plastic waste which pollutes the global ocean. We are concerned that when the world is facing a plastic waste crisis, we continue to produce single-use plastic waste and throw it into the ocean," said Thara Ben Sandrina, River Warrior Indonesia coordinator. stated that the presidential and legislative contestation was an important moment to provide education about the plastic waste crisis that is currently occurring in Indonesia. "The KPU should set an example by providing refillable drinking water, or providing drinking water in glasses, as an effort to reduce plastic waste," said Thara Clear Sandrina.

2 Reasons, STOP single-use plastic bottles

River Warrior Indonesia noted 2 important reasons why the KPU must stop using drinking water in single-use plastic bottles:

First, waste from single-use plastic bottles of AMDK can threaten human health. Recent research has found that bottled water contains hundreds of thousands of microplastic and nanoplastic particles that can enter and damage body cells. Microplastics are plastic fragments <5mm in size that can move through the tissues of the digestive tract or lungs, and can distribute potentially dangerous synthetic chemicals throughout the body and into cells. One liter of water is equivalent to two 500 mL drinking water bottles, containing an average of 240,000 plastic flakes, 90% of which is nanoplastic [1]. The health impacts of ingested plastic are still unclear but microplastics in the human body can cause stress and physical damage, apoptosis, necrosis, inflammation, oxidative stress, and immune responses.

Second, single-use plastic water bottle waste pollutes rivers, seas and biota. In Indonesia, the problem of plastic waste has become a national problem. It is known that Indonesia is the second largest contributor to plastic pollution in the world's oceans after China. Every day, Indonesia produces 175,000 tons of waste, with around 14% or 24,500 tons per day being plastic waste[2]. This situation is worrying because 81% of waste in Indonesia is not sorted, making it difficult to recycle and causing plastic waste to end up in landfills or being thrown away carelessly and polluting the environment.

This situation is further exacerbated by the fact that every 20 minutes, the equivalent of 10 tons of plastic waste is thrown into waters around Indonesia. The Citarum River, which surrounds the capital city of Jakarta, is known as the most polluted river in the world, with 74% to 87% of the waste found in Jakarta's rivers being plastic[3]. If current rates of plastic waste continue, by 2050, the amount of plastic in the ocean will exceed fish biomass. To address this issue, it is critical to promote more sustainable alternatives to bottled water, such as refill drinking water systems.

[1] Qian, Naixin et al., 2024. Rapid single- particle chemical imaging of nanoplastics by SRS microscopy. Chemistry Environmental Sciences. Vol. 121

[2] Adi, F.E. et al., 2020. Modelling of operational costs (tipping fees) and incentives to improve solid waste management services in Indonesia. IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and Engineering.

[3] Sari, M. et al., 2022. Plastic pollution in the surface water in Jakarta, Indonesia. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 182, 114023.