Gallon Corner as An Effective Campaign in Reducing Plastic Waste
Central Lombok, Indonesia, 25th January, 2021 - Indonesia Gallon Corner is one of the long-term projects from PATA Indonesia Lombok Tourism Polytechnic Student Chapter, which has been conducted as the campaign to diminish plastic waste by using tumbler since 2019.
As we known in 2015, Jambeck and team published the result of their research on a journal entitle "Plastic Waste Inputs from Land into The Ocean". Based on the statistical data in 2010, Indonesia occupies the second position of the biggest contributor of plastic waste to the ocean and plastic bottle is one of the most waste that people throw away (Jambeck Research Group, 2010). If this condition will be continuously neglected, the Sustainability Development Goals especially in line with the tourism industry (SGD No14) as well as SDG No 6 cannot be achieved. This issue drives PATA Indonesia Lombok Tourism Polytechnic Student Chapter to make the project of Gallon Corner.
Gallon Corner engages students to use a refillable bottle and stop buying mineral water with plastics packaging. To do this, members of PATA Indonesia Lombok Tourism Polytechnic Student Chapter corporate with campus management to succeed in this project. This project was fully supported and get approval from the campus management because it is in accordance with the Campus Program as "the Green Campus".
Figure 1. PATAns distribution the Gallon Corner
Gallon Corner was started by engaging and giving education to all students about this project, plastic waste and water in the first week of November 2019. The students are expected to always bring their tumblers to campus and they can refill their tumblers at the gallon provided by PATA members. After getting approval from Campus management, the distribution of gallon at each corner of the building is carried out. Each building gets 6 gallons per week. Monitoring and Maintenance are still implemented every Thursday morning to ensure that gallon and water pump in a good condition. Then, in the afternoon, there will be cross-checked on plastic bottle waste in all campus areas. This project has continued for the past year even though it was stopped due to the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Figure 2. Source: SDGs United Nation, 2021 (https://sdgs.un.org/goals)
Gallon corner project has linked with SGD's Goals number 6 clean water and sanitation. Through this project, the students could get clean water and have big benefits because they can save their money in buying water and diminish the plastic waste. Another benefit from this project is all collage communities always bring their bottle and refill it at the gallon corner that shows a good habit. Wherever they go, they always bring their tumblers. Surprisingly, within a few months, PATA Indonesia Lombok Tourism Polytechnic Student Chapter was successful to get rid of plastic bottle waste. The support from Campus that makes a regulation for the students to minimize using a product that package from plastic and also canteen stopped to sell beverage product that used plastic bottle. This is one of the key success of this project. Hopefully, this program can be a start-up to support the goal of SGDs 6 and 14 to save the life below water for our future tourism and providing clean water for people.
Read more information about PATA Indonesia Lombok Tourism Polytechnic Student Chapter’s Gallon Corner project:(https://www.instagram.com/s/aGlnaGxpZ2h0OjE4MTEzMjE4MDk2MDAxMzcw?igshid=2vr8rumamglu)
About PATA Indonesia Lombok Tourism Polytechnic Student Chapter
PATA Lombok Tourism Polytechnic Student Chapter was noted officially in Cebu, Philippines in 2019. This organization actively supports and contributes to PATA’s mission & goals, promotes the concept of sustainable tourism and creates competitive globally as well as empowers students as Young Tourism Professionals (YTPs). The members have several programs to support sustainability applying in campus and community.
For more information, please contact:
PATA Indonesia Lombok Tourism Polytechnic Student Chapter
Jalan Raden Puguh No. 1, Puyung, Jonggat, Praya
Central Lombok – Indonesia (83561)
IG: pata.poltekparlombok
E-mail : patascppl@gmail.com