More and More People Get Into the Exciting Waste Collection Business

TheIndonesia.id - A municipal official has recently said that more and more people are getting into waste collection business as it enables them to get additional income relatively easy.

Riono, head of Tanjungpinang environment office (DLH) in Riau Islands, said the number of people who join the waste bank industry keeps increasing, as it is seen as a convenient way for members of the public to get more money.

“The number of waste banks continues to rise. This month alone, it increase from 48 locations to 56,” Riono said on Friday, October 28, as reported by Antara.

He explained that the concept is pretty similar to that of conventional bank, but instead of money, people deposit dry waste that still have values, such as plastics, cables, cans, coppers, and bottles.

Members of the waste bank will even have their own bankbook, and they will be given authority to withdraw their money at any time.

Furthermore, they can get a loan and repay it with waste.

“The book will record the waste deposited by members of the public, which will be converted to rupiah,” Riono explained. “The price of waste … fluctuates, but waste bank’s officers will inform the change to clients.”

According to him, waste banks in the area have the potential to further develop as Tanjunpinang produces up to 95 tons of waste per day, and the majority of them are dry materials.

DLH Tanjunpinang also encourages every hamlet to establish its own waste bank, as the waste collection business is also relatively easy to run by the public.

Particularly, for stay-at-home women, this business also presents itself as an opportunity for them to get additional income.

“Waste are usually considered valueless and thrown away, especially by stay-at-home mothers. [Now] they only have to collect dry waste and sell them to waste banks.

Riono added that waste collected by waste banks will be sold to parent waste bank—after being cleaned—and that there are two waste banks in Tanjungpinang at the moment,” Riono said.

Lastly, the officer hoped that the existence and growth of waste collection business in the city can reduce the volume of waste dumped in a landfill located in Ganet area.

“We’re also working to develop the waste business, not only to serve waste collection, but also to process plastic waste into fuel oil and paving block,” he concluded.