"We are embarrassed, our plastic waste has drifted all the way to Africa" Fighting for a Single-Use Plastic-Free Indonesia Aeshnina sent a letter to the 2024 presidential candidates

Friday, 19 September 2024 Aeshnina sent letters to 3 presidential candidates via the Wringinanom Post Office on Jl Raya Wringinanom. "Today is a good day, Friday I sent a letter from Gen Z to presidential candidates, this letter is a compilation of 862 letters from Gen Z Indonesia who want environmental issues to be prioritized by Indonesian Presidential Candidates," said Aeshnina Azzahra Aqilani.

Letter collection activities began in June 2023 until now, of the 862 people who collected letters, 56% were women and 61% will vote. Letters for the President were collected online and offline. "Since June 2023 we have received letters via the IG accounts @aeshnina and @suratuntukpresidentku2024 with "Googleform, while for offline we do it door to door visiting schools," said Aeshnina, furthermore, this student from SMA Muhammadiyah 10 Gresik explained that the aim of writing the letter was to open the eyes of presidential candidates about environmental damage in Indonesia, especially in East Java and wanted candidates The President has taken real action to protect Indonesia's earth from damage, especially handling single-use plastic waste which is a serious problem.

Refuse Single Use Plastic

Poor waste management, careless dumping of waste and burning of waste pollutes the air, especially burnt plastic waste which causes an unpleasant odor. Aeshnina's survey of 862 respondents showed:

1.       69.8% of people reported that burning waste is the environmental problem they encounter most often. 53.1% of people feel that there is no temporary segregated waste processing site (TPST) in their village so that waste is dumped everywhere.

2.       Indonesia It's embarrassing because the trash has washed up to southern Africa. 62.3% of people feel that the environmental problem around them is plastic waste thrown into rivers. A new study led by the University of Oxford developed a high-resolution model that simulates the movement of plastic waste in the world's oceans. The results of this study show that Indonesia is the main source of land-based plastic waste found on beaches in the Seychelles. The waste that Indonesia produces from the Cisadane River flows to the coast of the Seychelles, Africa. Ecoton 2023 research states that 64 national rivers have been polluted by microplastics. River pollution accelerates the extinction of freshwater fish in Indonesia.

"Plastic waste will ultimately threaten environmental sustainability and human health," said Aeshnina. The Indonesian River Warrior Coordinator further stated that plastic will not decompose naturally in nature, but will break down into small fragments measuring <5 mm, called microplastics. Microplastics have been found to have polluted the entire food chain and the environment. What's worse, microplastics have been found in the human body, including breast milk, blood vessels, and even the lungs. This is really serious and must be prioritized for the sake of human health and the environment for future generations. The EDCs chemicals that make up microplastics will damage the hormonal system which can reduce fertility, prostate cancer, breast cancer, and even fetal defects. If this is left untreated and not immediately addressed, it will definitely damage the natural balance and disrupt environmental health.

Millennials and Gen Z are the generations that dominate the 2024 election, namely 56.45% of the total. My hope as a young Indonesian is that I want to have a leader

1. love the next generation of Indonesia so that they want to prioritize the environment, become friends with orangutans, protect forests and animals from extinction and act like river warriors who protect rivers from pollution,

2. Don't be greedy in taking away environmental rights for our generation, and

3. Not only good at talking but also having real action, like Aquaman who dares to fight to protect the ocean from single-use plastic pollution.

"The President of Indonesia in 2024 must free Indonesia from single-use plastic," concluded Aeshnina