Yay to another clean-up
June 15, 2009Last week, on World Environment Day, which fell on June 5th, another clean-up was done in Ciliwung. And the good news is, no unaffordable technologies involved. Sanggar Ciliwung Merdeka, a non-profit organization, lead hundreds of Jakartans to clean six parts of the river, from the upstream to the downstream.
The organization, consists of youths and people from the communities around Ciliwung as members, was founded in 2000 and has been actively facilitating trash and recycling programs in the community.
In 2007, the group managed to build a community clinic as well as water sanitation facility for the riverbank residents.
In 2008, they built a 200 square meter composting house, which allow the residents to compose their organic waste and sell them for extra income. The organization also managed a community bazaar to raise awareness about the slums and allowed them to improve their living conditions.
Last week’s clean-up, was organized along with other non-profit organizations, yielded 50 kgs of organic waste and 200 kgs of dry waste. The organic waste collected could be traded for several kilograms of rice. This is what I think is an effective clean-up program. Not only it motivates residents to help keep the river clean, it also gives them incentive for keeping it clean. Thumbs up for Sanggar Ciliwung Merdeka.
