After a 24 hour flight, three transfers and constant headbanging on my neighbour’s shoulder I landed in hectic Jayapura. On my way here I both ignored and dwelled with the absurdity and guilt of flying towards the sustainable plastic expedition. When I later received what can best be described as a plastic bag with plastic (single use toiletries) on the airplane I was reminded how this can’t just be treated as a problem on specific locations. I’m not flying towards the plastic pollution, I’m already a part of it. Luckily things are slowly changing and opening up for discussing before indisputable truths.
A paradise with no trash cans
To my relief no plastic islands was to spot when I flew over the beautiful green islands and blue ocean on arrival. It looked like animated pictures from the story of Treasure Island. But after arrival it was obvious that I landed in the middle of a city build on contrasts. With green jungle popping up between colorful houses of wood and metal, I had a feeling of one of the other was about to consume the other totally in either thick jungle or buzzing settlements. After a closer view from the car through the busy streets of Jayapura, the trash became a part of the landscape, a dominant one. All the way from the airport to Dokk 9, where Y/S Christianshavn where swaying on dirty water, there where no trash cans to see. Why should there, when there is no system to empty it?
A mangrove forest we visited with so much plastic that it makes it difficult for the trees to create new roots and absorb the right nourishment
A typical day off on the beach is a constant reminder on the omnipresent pollution.
The smell of burning plastic
Every night a thick smell fills the air, and smoke rises like dancing rattlesnakes from numerous locations in town. It’s time for the daily trash burning. The trash is collected and burned, so that the kitchen floor and terrace of the small wooden houses again is ready for the daily repetition of cooking, gatherings and cleaning. That is unfortunately a common practice in West Papua. But we have learned that it has nothing to do with people not caring about the problem or consequences, instead it has everything to do with a system with too little capacity and not enough communication or encouragement on the subject.
The plastic bank is filled up, but missing money
After China, Indonesia is the country who pollutes our oceans the most, with plastic. Though that does not mean that the country or the population doesn’t care about the problem. On a national level we have seen that there is an increasing awareness of plastic. The government has issued a competition among the provinces in Indonesia to take the most initiative and actions in a sustainable direction including the battling of plastic pollution to gain points and in the end a price.
In West Papua the authorities are cooperating with the organization Bank Samphat (Samphat means trash, a trash bank) who makes new initiatives, activities and creates a sustainable awareness among the locals. They are also in charge of the organization around trash pick up and recycling. They began in 2016 and have made big progress, but their capacity only allows for people to call them with a big amount of trash, and not for everyday pick up in family homes. Which is why most plastic is still set on fire every night. Right now Bank Samphat are in negotiations with the authorities about getting more funds. The bank can’t just live of plastic, money is needed.
Sharing fruits and throwing it in the water. Moments before a three year old took the empty bag and threw it in the water.
Tricky habits and revealing tides
From Christianshavns quay spot at the outlet of a big river we have first row tickets to the trash show, currently playing every day and scheduled years ahead. With every high tide plastic bottles in numerous colors are flushing up to the ditches. With every low tide a layer of plastic is revealed in the muddy seabed. Some will be stuck in the mud, other will be carried by the rising water out into the ocean. Out of sight, but not out of mind. In the ocean the big plastic will be degraded into smaller and smaller pieces. At last classified as micro plastic, that can be carried by the currents to even the most remote areas on the world.
The people in West Papua has traditionally only produced organic trash, since plastic has only been introduced on the market 30-20 years ago by the western model of consumerism. The people we have talked to says that it has been a very quick change in products and packaging and therefore trash beginning in the 1980’s. The habits have not changed proportionally, because the government or manufactures haven’t foreseen the consequences and acted accordingly with awareness or proper systems for recycling. The consumers doesn’t seem to have many options for avoiding plastic or getting rid of it in a responsible way.
A Christmas tree out of plastic bottles: On a local plan there is a competition going on about making the most creative Christmas tree decorations out of plastic. In this family they all work together to have a shot in the competition. The plastic gets a second purpose, but the missing link is still awareness, because the excess plastic from the cutouts are swept into the mud underneath in the cleanup.
In the coming time we will take more field trips to see how the problem is handled and what is being done among locals.