Erased Concrete Bricks, Here Comes Plastic Bricks

Indonesia, known for its beautiful archipelago and diverse culture in each Island with a population of 280,221,344 millions of people. Based on these facts alone, it should be safe to assume that their primary industry will be either tourism (due to the rich culture and wide range of vacation spots) or maritime (due to the fact that Indonesia is surrounded by bodies of water that provide a perfect getaway for trading with other countries). However these assumptions would be false, instead the Indonesian focuses their attention developing Indonesia industrial sector utilising the large amount of the Indonesian population for labour. According to the Statista Research Department on April 27, 2022, they discovered that the industrial sector in Indonesia plays a significant role in the country's socio - economic development, and over the past decades, the government has prioritised this industry to optimise the potential contribution to accelerated industrial growth. In today's economy, the industrial sector is Indonesia's largest GDP contributor and is key to the Indonesian government's ambition of developing the country into one of the top ten largest economies in the world by 2030.

However, the development of Indonesia's industrial sector does not occur at the same time with the development of waste management in Indonesia, and when the industrial sector eventually booms, the waste management system or process cannot keep up with the sudden increase in waste production from the industrial sector, resulting in the accumulation of plastic waste. Although the government has employed many different efforts to handle this problem from regularly cleaning the rivers to banning single-use plastic bags in its shopping centres and street markets none of which actually tackles the root causes of this problem. With the momentum of the G20 summit heading to November, the topic of sustainable efforts has never been more important and prevalent than ever. Followed with Jakarta efforts in revitalization project with SDG in mind, the relevance of waste management and turning into manufactured materials, structures, and roadways that are more durable and sustainable than the commonly used one. Research conducted in 2019 has shown that  recycling is the most effective method to combat the problem of plastic waste in Indonesia and suggested an implementation of a reverse logistics system. The reverse logistics system allows the plastic that has been used by consumers to be returned to the factory that produces it so that it can be recycled. Therefore, establishing a sustainable waste management system is the most favourable concept to reduce plastic waste. With this new profound insight into the solution of plastic waste management and the urgency of sustainability goals, the government should immediately find a way to recycle this plastic waste effectively and turn it into something useful.

Let me introduce you to Ecobricking, a solution that emphasises sustainability while also touching on the issue of revitalization or development. Simply described, ecobrick is a construction block composed entirely of non-recyclable plastic. It's made by filling a plastic bottle with clean, dry plastic until it's firmly packed and ready to use as a construction block. The problem with eco bricking that makes it unappealing to companies or even the government is that it requires a significant amount of complicated and lengthy time to process just one safe construction brick, but if companies and governments are willing to invest their money and time to support sustainability efforts, this will be the best solution. In fact, there is a local Eco bricking organisation in Jakarta that could immediately support the government initiative in sustainable development goals and achieving one of the G20 objectives. 

Rebrick is a waste management organisation based in Jakarta that intends to recycle plastic waste and manufacture waste-free construction blocks through individual donations, corporate donations, and purchases from Waste Bank. Paving blocks are one of the most popular bricks that they create, followed by building bricks and lastly roaster, which has been utilised on various projects, including McDonald's Parung. Despite the variety of products that they manufacture, paving blocks still is the main attraction for most companies and organisations. What makes Rebricks different from other Eco bricking companies is that they primarily use sachet waste that are typically made up of laminated plastic and aluminium film. The first reason for this specification is that sachet waste is difficult to recycle because it requires a chemical procedure to separate the plastic from the aluminium. Second, because most people in the plastic waste industry view sachet garbage as waste from waste, it frequently ends up in landfills, burnt, or in nature. Next, unlike other plastic garbage such as plastic bottles, PET bottles, HDPE, and LDPE, sachet waste has no economic value. Finally, because no one is collecting this plastic debris, it will contribute to flooding or, worse, end up in our ocean. As a result, the government should begin cooperating with Rebricks not just to solve their waste management system problem, but also to make construction blocks to assist in their revitalization initiative. Their objectives and goals are in sync, so what's the issue?

Despite Rebrick's promising potential to alter the construction block industry landscape, it will likely be overshadowed by huge established concrete corporations that have been collaborating with the government since its beginnings. Unlike Rebricks, well-established concrete businesses have already gained the Indonesian government's trust to lead numerous revitalization initiatives, but Rebricks is still a relatively new newcomer that must build trust over time. Unless the government is willing to take the risk and invest in Rebricks, the government will not only be able to meet their Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 and G20 objectives, but they will also be able to create a new wave of evolution where demand for these plastic construction bricks is high, leading to a massive decrease in plastic waste, providing Indonesia with a much needed solution to their waste management system.

Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, has a good way to summaries the entire article:  

The biggest risk is not taking any risk... In a world that is changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.” 

The situation of Rebricks is quite a peculiar one due to various different external aspects that could truly elevate their organisation profile. From Indonesia Sustainable Development Goals, Indonesia plastic waste problem, to the upcoming G20 summit. I would argue that, if you truly believe in the objectives and goals that your program has set out then it is in your utmost power to truly achieve it no matter what. If we don’t take drastic measures today, then when will that be? That’s a question you might need to ask yourself for today.