The Central Jakarta administration, launched a movement to minimize plastic waste by reusing spunbond bags and thinwall food containers at Rawasari Market, Jalan Rawasari Selatan, RT 16/02, Cempaka Putih Timur Urban Village, Cempaka Putih, Wednesday (3/6).

Using spunbond and thinwall will definitely reduce the use of plastic bags

Central Jakarta City Planning and Environment Section Head, Martua Sitorus said the launch of this movement was made by providing socialization to traders and market visitors, thus they no longer use plastic bags to store their purchases.

"Using spunbond and thinwall will definitely reduce the use of plastic bags. Besides increasing the volume of waste, plastic bags are also not environmentally friendly," he said, Wednesday (3/6).

He went on to say that reducing the use of plastic bags would be conducted in stages starting from traditional markets in eight sub-districts in Central Jakarta.

"We will also ask urban village and sub-district officials to intensify socialization to residents. Afterward, we just went to the shops," he asserted.

Central Jakarta Environment Sub-agency Head, Slamet Riyadi explained his party managed to collect three sacks of spunbond and two sacks of used thinwall from the Central Jakarta administration ASN ranks. The reusable containers were then distributed to visitors at Rawasari Market.

Hopefully, it could increase people's awareness to no longer use plastic bags as containers for their purchases. His party also urged traders to help educate consumers to bring their own containers from home when shopping.

"Hopefully, residents will become more aware of not using plastic bags so they can minimize waste," he stated.