Turn Waste into Wonder

Accumulated Waste: A Trigger for Urban Flooding

In many large cities in Indonesia and other developing countries, piles of trash—especially plastic—often clog drains, gutters, and rivers. When heavy rains fall, water cannot flow smoothly, causing it to overflow onto roads and residential areas, resulting in flooding.

According to data from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, more than 60% of the causes of flooding in Greater Jakarta are directly related to poorly managed waste. Single-use plastic waste, plastic bags, and beverage bottles are the main contributors because they are not easily decomposed and are easily carried away by water currents.

By reducing waste, sorting it, and returning it through systems such as GoFry, we not only earn “coins,” but also prevent environmental disasters.

A Country Almost Free of Waste: Global Inspiration

Several countries have proven that environmentally conscious communities can create clean and sustainable environments. For example:

• Rwanda – Banning plastic bags since 2008 and implementing “Umuganda,” a monthly community clean-up initiative. The result: Kigali is known as the cleanest city in Africa.
• Swedia – Only 1% of household waste ends up in landfills. The rest is recycled or converted into energy through environmentally friendly incineration.
• Jepang – The community is very disciplined in sorting waste (into more than 10 categories). Cities such as Kamikatsu have been targeting “zero waste” since 2003 and now achieve more than 80% recycling.

The key to their success? Education, strict regulations, recycling infrastructure, and—most importantly—active citizen participation.