Essay Expository-Garbage, No Way!

GARBAGE, GO AWAY!

Dian Ariana Junaedi (AG.1)

Makassar ta’ tidak rantasa (MRT)

Lihat sampah ambil (LISA)

In Makassar, those slogans are very familiar as one of the efforts of Mayor in Makassar about the garbage problem that is uncontrollable increasingly. Generally, handling the garbage problem in Indonesia is serious problem. However, the uncontrolled garbage problem has many effects that can not be tolerated, not only in terms of environmental impacts such as environmental pollution, disturbing the aesthetics of the city, even can have a natural disasters, such as flood. The various effects of the garbage problem that are not solved seriously need to get the full attention of Indonesian government and the society as a whole. In other words, the garbage problem in Indonesia needs the effective solutions such as public awareness, rubbish management with recycling and applying the fines.

The garbage problem in Indonesia can not be solved, if there is no public awareness itself. The awareness to not throw garbage in any place and it needs to be enhanced with the perspective that garbage will only bring a huge losses in their lives, such as may result a flood. Indonesian researcher, Abdul Muhari on Hazard and Risk Evaluation at the International Research Institute of Disaster Science (Irides), Tohoku University observes and makes a simulation to determine the cause of the flood that occurred in Jakarta, January 17^th, 2013 and the results revealed that it caused of the many garbage that cover 3 of 4 floodgates in the Karet area, so that the water level is more than 6 meters. From these data, need to increase public awareness that garbage only have an impact that will be troublesome in society, such as flood or even another disasters that they will never expect before.

In addition, the best solution is the rubbish management, specifically with recycling. According to Mouldie Satria of Waste4Change as much as 60% of garbage from household actually could be processed independently at home especially for organic garbage. With this opinion, the mindset of Indonesian people should be changed that garbage is not to be threw away but to be processed. This thing have been applied in Egypt. That country sorts the garbage that can be made compost or recycled optimally. This is successfully proven in Zabbeleen, Cairo. It is able to change or utilize 85% of the garbage and employs 40.000 people. If that thing also applied in Indonesia, then not only garbage problem can be solved, but also can reduce the level of unemployment with creating a new job.

Applying the fines is also one of the effective ways for handling the garbage problem in Indonesia. If Indonesian people can not realize the garbage problem with his own awareness, so that, it is necessary to apply the fines system to familiarize the public for not throw garbage in any place. This fines had already been implemented in Singapore. Minister of Environment and Water Resources of Singapore, Vivian Balakrishnan stated that the fines for people who throw garbage on any place in Singapore is 500 Singapore dollars (5 million in Rupiah). The policy shows the seriousness and commitment of Singapore to maintain its reputation as a clean country. That positive thing is very necessary to be imitated in Indonesia, as one of the deterrent effect for people who think that garbage is trivial thing.

In conclusion, garbage is a serious problem that is mushrooming in Indonesia. We can not consider that garbage as a trivial problem, because the garbage not only can damage the environment, but also will injure the image of Indonesia becomes a dirty country even also will result a flood. With these impacts, the effective solutions for handling the garbage problems are really needed such as the public awareness must be improved, the management of rubbish with recycling and applying the fines that can accustom the public to stop for throw garbage in any place. In other words, the role of government that is supported by the society will be able to overcome the problems of garbage. If it is not started from us, as an Indonesian people, who else!