To support Hari Peduli Sampah Nasional (National Trash Awareness Day) that was held on 19th of February 2023, i3L’s Student Council in collaboration with Indonesia Indah Foundation (IIF) organized an event to clean our campus, which is located in Pulomas, as well as the area surrounding it with an aim to encourage students to reduce littering. It was a heartfelt experience knowing that it was a Sunday morning and yet, participants still came eagerly and joined the whole event.
The event was limited to 50 volunteers, which were divided into 5 groups, each with a different cleaning route. Everyone was equipped with a pair of hand gloves and a sack with symbols of either a tick for inorganic, a cross for organic, or an exclamation mark for toxic garbage. The activity started at 8 AM with a short briefing session followed by an exciting ice breaking game of Quizizz that further boosts the excitement of all participants. Then, the cleaning session started and lasted for about one and a half hours. It was surprising that in such a small area in the neighborhood, there was a lot of trash found, ranging from plastics to glass bottles. After a long journey, all teams finally made it back to the campus, carrying bags filled to the brim with the litter they found. Although it was exhausting, it was so much fun cleaning the environment while socializing with friends! By the end of the day, a total of 93.55 kg of waste was collected and discarded in appropriate bins. The event ended with a photo session and snack distribution as a symbol of appreciation.
Through this activity, we came to a realization that we are always surrounded by trash and litter, even in places that look clean. If we don’t start throwing trash at the proper bin, sooner or later it will pile up into something we wouldn’t want to imagine. So, let’s start by being more aware and cautious of trash!