In rainy seasons, Jakarta’s coast area floods quite regularly due to the waste with an extreme quantity. The solid and liquid wastes come from domestic and even industrial process, and more accurately, from our ignorance of its seriousness.

With the purpose of raising people’s awareness, August 8th, in collaboration with Environmental Ministry and Jakarta Environmental Management Agency (BPLHD), Jakarta Green Monster carried out the first Jakarta Costal Clean-up in which about 1,500 volunteers with a wide range of backgrounds participated.

The Clean Up covers 3 areas. They are Muara Angke Fishing Harbor, Angke-Kapuk Protection Forest and Muara Angke Wildlife Sanctuary. As organizers, JGM members arrived at Muara Angke the night before the action day for plan design. The discussion took a long time and all of them, as it were, only had poor little rest.

As planned, the Clean Up started at 8 am. Volunteers were separated into 3 groups with appointed organizers accompanied. Me and the other intern are in one group in which Eveline played as a leader and an interpreter as well. Volunteers in our groups come from Gandhi International School, St. Nicholas School and Jubille School.

Starting from free and refreshing soda drink, the students soon involved themselves in the Clean Up. I could say this would be the first time for these students to face so much garbage and with so many bizarre kinds! Garbage was to be picked up into different bags: bags with plastic, glass and rubber. At last, when students were told they had picked up the target amount, some of them still lingering on: There is still much garbage left to pick! But, I would say, at least, you have already been aware of it.

The Jakarta Costal Clean Up thus targeted its goal. We can pick 381,4 Kilograms of waste in Angke-Kapuk Protectiction Forest. But still, there’s a long way to go in the road of environmental protection (Shannon Zhou).