Young Indonesians Clean up Waterways, Better Solution Needed
2023-12-18
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1Children in the Indonesian city of Bogor are cleaning up a local lake on their own.
2The young people take small boats, called kayaks, out on the water.
3They direct the kayaks toward floating trash.
4They remove the trash from the water and place it in their boats.
5Later, on land, all the trash is examined and dealt with.
6About 20 children take part in the effort to fight pollution but it began with one boy.
7Ten years ago, Giri Marhara decided to start cleaning up the lake.
8He was just 16 years old at the time and had a habit of cleaning up his environment.
9Young people like Marhara have been at the front of environmental and climate change movements in recent years.
10Movements like school strikes for climate action, protests at United Nations climate talks, and local clean ups have often been youth-led.
11The small-scale campaigns in Indonesia have been popular with younger people, gaining support and attention.
12"For me, cleaning up is catharsis, cleaning up is refreshing," said Marhara.
13He said children playing nearby would often ask if they could help him with lake clean up.
14They formed a group last year, called the Situ Gede Cleanliness Warrior, named after the lake.
15They boat across the lake, pick up trash, and identify what can be recycled.
16Marhara and his friends have collected more than 2,700 kilograms of trash in and around the Situ Gede lake.
17The trash problem in Indonesia is widespread.
18Its Environmental and Forestry Ministry says the country produced more than 35 million tons of waste last year.
19It estimates that 35 percent of waste in the country is unmanaged. Garbage along roadways, waterways and natural environments is a common sight.
20Waste is also responsible for around 3 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, says the World Resources Institute.
21Much of that comes from food waste. If left to decompose in landfills, food waste can release methane.
22The gas warms the planet and is around 80 times stronger than carbon dioxide.
23The trash problem has raised health concerns: Plastic waste, for example, gets broken down into tiny pieces called microplastics, which can enter the human body.
24Studies suggest it can damage the endocrine, nervous and immune systems, and can carry an increased risk of cancers.
25There are alternatives to landfill or littering for some waste products: food waste can be composted, for example.
26Some other types of waste, like certain types of plastic, can be reused or recycled. But environmentalists also say the world needs to make less waste in the first place, as much of it ends up in landfills or in the world's oceans.
27But as waste continues, youth-led clean ups can still make an impact, even if it is just for small areas or communities.
28Marhara believes that lasting change will require ending "behavior that is causing trash to be out there in the environment," he said, saying the country has a "littering culture."
29"I think that the only way to counter that culture is by developing a counterculture," a clean up culture, he said.
30I'm Dan Novak.
1Children in the Indonesian city of Bogor are cleaning up a local lake on their own. 2The young people take small boats, called kayaks, out on the water. They direct the kayaks toward floating trash. They remove the trash from the water and place it in their boats. Later, on land, all the trash is examined and dealt with. 3About 20 children take part in the effort to fight pollution but it began with one boy. Ten years ago, Giri Marhara decided to start cleaning up the lake. He was just 16 years old at the time and had a habit of cleaning up his environment. 4Young people like Marhara have been at the front of environmental and climate change movements in recent years. Movements like school strikes for climate action, protests at United Nations climate talks, and local clean ups have often been youth-led. 5The small-scale campaigns in Indonesia have been popular with younger people, gaining support and attention. 6"For me, cleaning up is catharsis, cleaning up is refreshing," said Marhara. He said children playing nearby would often ask if they could help him with lake clean up. 7They formed a group last year, called the Situ Gede Cleanliness Warrior, named after the lake. They boat across the lake, pick up trash, and identify what can be recycled. 8Marhara and his friends have collected more than 2,700 kilograms of trash in and around the Situ Gede lake. 9The trash problem in Indonesia is widespread. Its Environmental and Forestry Ministry says the country produced more than 35 million tons of waste last year. It estimates that 35 percent of waste in the country is unmanaged. Garbage along roadways, waterways and natural environments is a common sight. 10Waste is also responsible for around 3 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, says the World Resources Institute. Much of that comes from food waste. If left to decompose in landfills, food waste can release methane. The gas warms the planet and is around 80 times stronger than carbon dioxide. 11The trash problem has raised health concerns: Plastic waste, for example, gets broken down into tiny pieces called microplastics, which can enter the human body. Studies suggest it can damage the endocrine, nervous and immune systems, and can carry an increased risk of cancers. 12There are alternatives to landfill or littering for some waste products: food waste can be composted, for example. Some other types of waste, like certain types of plastic, can be reused or recycled. But environmentalists also say the world needs to make less waste in the first place, as much of it ends up in landfills or in the world's oceans. 13But as waste continues, youth-led clean ups can still make an impact, even if it is just for small areas or communities. 14Marhara believes that lasting change will require ending "behavior that is causing trash to be out there in the environment," he said, saying the country has a "littering culture." 15"I think that the only way to counter that culture is by developing a counterculture," a clean up culture, he said. 16I'm Dan Novak. 17Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by The Associated Press. 18_____________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20habit - n. a usual way of behaving 21catharsis - n. the act or process of releasing a strong emotion 22refreshing - adj. pleasantly new, different, or interesting 23manage - v. to have control of 24decompose - adj. to cause something to be slowly destroyed and broken down by natural processes, chemicals, etc. 25endocrine - n. relating to glands which release hormones or other products directly into the blood 26compost - n. a decayed mixture of plants (such as leaves and grass) that is used to improve the soil in a garden 27landfill - n. a system in which waste materials are buried under the ground 28counterculture - n. a culture with values and customs that are very different from and usually opposed to those accepted by most of society