Siti Salamah and Hope Behind Garbage Piles

Siti Salamah and Hope Behind Garbage Piles

JAKARTA: The sun was scorching hot that day, giving a hard time to a man who was trying to make a living. Wearing a bamboo conical hat and carrying a basket on his back, the man was diligently picking through piles of garbage with an iron stick, hoping to find something of value and earn some money.

That is the life of a scavenger or trash picker, collecting as much waste as possible and then selling them for cash to be brought home to their family. They are the hero of waste management.

In big cities, we often see women, children, and old people with a basket strapped on their backs, picking trash from places along the street. Those children cannot even go to school as they have to scour for valuable trash to survive.

Whether we realize it or not, many of us sympathize with their conditions. But only a few are compelled to do something to help them.

Siti Salamah is one of the few. Trash pickers in South Tangerang, Banten know who she is. For years, she has dedicated herself to providing education to economic empowerment to thousands of scavengers in the Jurang Mangu Timur area.

The 34-year-old woman started her activities in 2015 by establishing the Taman Maghrib Mengaji, whose name later changed to Rumah Pohon, where she delivered informal and spiritual education to scavenger children which benefited their character development.

Through Rumah Pohon, Siti also carried out community development activities. Together with her colleagues, she equipped scavenger women with knowledge and skills that they could use to be independent.

“To change the negative stigma and raise the standard of living of those who are marginalized, we must empower scavengers,” stated Siti Salamah, the recipient of the 2021 SATU Indonesia Awards Astra for Group Category.

In 2018, Siti and her colleagues launched the Waste Solution Hub, a provider of integrated waste management solutions. Waste Solution Hub or WasteHub empowers marginalized people, especially scavengers, through coaching and giving them the chance to earn better income.

The WasteHub Model cuts back unnecessary steps of the waste management process. With the model, scavengers can directly sell the trash they pick at double the price compared to what they get if they sell it through the off-takers. To illustrate, an off-taker at the site offers Rp2,000 per kilogram of plastic waste, and after going through four to five big off-takers, the price goes up to Rp5,000 per kilogram. Streamlining the process means that the 100 percent extra income goes straight to trash pickers’ pockets.

As a result, scavengers in the Jurang Mangu Timur area are now better off than they used to be. For her integrated waste management solution, Siti received an award for the Group Category which represents five fields - Health, Education, Environment, Entrepreneurship, and Technology from Astra at the 12th SATU Indonesia Awards event.

Siti was also entitled to an activity grant of Rp60 million and other assistance which can be merged with Astra’s sustainable social contribution programs - Kampung Berseri Astra and Desa Sejahtera Astra.

WASTE SOLUTION HUB SOCIAL INNOVATION

The nation’s capital, Jakarta is not only the center of government but also the epicenter of growth and development. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs data, with a population of 11.25 million as of 2021, Jakarta produces 8,000 tons of waste per day.

Feeling concerned about this situation, Siti Salamah and her colleagues initiated a social innovation activity that focuses on urban waste management and circular economy, the Waste Solution Hub.

The initiative adopts an integrated technology systems approach and involves multiple stakeholders. Its activities that also focus on scavengers’ welfare become an added value to the program and what distinguishes Waste Solution Hub from other waste management programs.

WasteHub manages waste generated from events and residential clusters by implementing an end-to-end process to add sustainable value. It also gives intensive training to trash pickers to increase their skills and open up new opportunities. Moreover, it has a sustainability consulting program for #lesswaste and #zerowaste projects to help them eliminate risks and remain sustainable.

Currently, there are over 60 Waste Solution Hub volunteers. WasteHub has educated more than 23,000 visitors, handled more than 10 projects, managed more than 2,400 kilograms of waste, empowered more than 1,200 scavengers, and distributed 3,066 food packages to scavengers to date.

WasteHub aims to involve at least 10,000 scavenger partners, increase scavengers’ income by 100 percent, manage 1,000 tons of waste per day, produce 1,000 recycled products, and build 10 recycling and learning centers throughout the country.

Siti Salamah and Waste Solution Hub’s devotion to managing waste and improving the welfare of scavengers is in line with Indonesia’s Sustainable Development Goals and Astra’s mission to prosper with the nation.

For further information, please contact:
Boy Kelana Soebroto
Head of Corporate Communications
PT Astra International Tbk
Ph.021-508-43-888

About Astra:

PT Astra International Tbk was established in 1957 in Jakarta as a general trading company under the name Astra International Inc. In 1990, for the purpose of the company’s initial public offering (IPO), the name of the company changed to PT Astra International Tbk, followed by listing its shares on the Indonesia Stock Exchange under the ticker code ASII.

Astra has developed its business by implementing a business model based on synergies and diversification within seven business divisions: 1) Automotive, 2) Financial Services, 3) Heavy Equipment, Mining, Construction & Energy, 4) Agribusiness, 5) Infrastructure and Logistics, 6) Information Technology and 7) Property.

Astra Group conducts business operations in all parts of Indonesia under the management of more than 240 companies, including subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates, and was supported by more than 188,000 employees, as of December 2021.

As one of the largest national business groups in Indonesia today, Astra has built a strong reputation through offering a range of quality products and services, taking into account the implementation of good corporate and environmental governance. Astra always aspires to be the pride of the nation that participates in efforts to improve the welfare of the Indonesian people.

Astra's business activities strive to apply a balanced mix in the commercial aspects of business and non-business contributions through 9 foundations and a variety of sustainable social responsibility programmes, namely Astra Untuk Indonesia Sehat, Astra Untuk Indonesia Cerdas, Astra Untuk Indonesia Hijau and Astra Untuk Indonesia Kreatif.

Astra initiated the Semangat Astra Terpadu Untuk (SATU) Indonesia Awards programme, which has entered its eleventh year, and has given recognition awards to 493 young Indonesians, consisting of 81 national level recipients and 412 provincial level recipients in the fields of Health, Education, the Environment, Entrepreneurship and Technology, which are integrated with Astra’s wide range of community activities through 133 Kampung Berseri Astra and 930 Desa Sejahtera Astra initiatives in 34 provinces throughout Indonesia.

For further information, please visit www.astra.co.id & www.satu-indonesia.com, and follow Astra through Instagram (@satu_Indonesia), Youtube (SATU Indonesia), Facebook (Semangat Astra Terpadu) and Twitter (@satu_Indonesia).