MWRP Indonesia: Bank Sampah – Community Waste Recycling Program

 The Raja Ampat Islands, globally renowned for coral reef biodiversity, have faced significant threats in recent years from increased ocean plastic and mismanaged waste in coastal areas. An archipelago in Indonesia’s West Papua province, Raja Ampat features more than 1,500 small islands and cays.

The city of Sorong, gateway for visitors and West Papua province capital, recently gained notoriety as one of Indonesia’s dirtiest cities. Much of the city’s waste, of which 10% to 14% is plastic, collects in rivers and washes out to sea, damaging the coral reef ecosystem. Furthermore, coastal neighborhoods often throw trash directly into the ocean.

To address the problem of ocean plastic pollution and help Sorong and the Raja Ampat Islands improve its poor record with solid waste management (SWM), the Yayasan Misool Baseftin (Misool Foundation) launched the community-based Bank Sampah Project, funded by USAID’s Municipal Waste Recycling Program. In this project, the Misool Foundation’s recycling center buys, processes, and resells recyclable waste materials from community bank sampahs (waste banks) that the project has set up and/or strengthened. The buying and selling of recyclable materials incentivize residents to recycle, promote community economic development, and reduce contamination of land and ocean environments from plastic materials and other debris.