Indonesia Indah Foundation partners with M&C Saatchi to tackle Indonesia's waste problem

Indonesia Indah Foundation has partnered up with M&C Saatchi Indonesia to get one million volunteers to raise awareness about Indonesia’s waste problem on Hari Bersih Indonesia (National Clean-Up Day). Hari Bersih Indonesia invites citizens and residents of Indonesia to care for the environment by spending two hours on the morning of 19 February picking up litter from their neighbourhoods.

Founders of this national-scale event born in 2019 are non-profit organisation, Indonesia Indah Foundation (IIF). Joining forces with the foundation for the event this year, are advertising agency M&C Saatchi Indonesia, who have been running the event’s marketing campaign in previous years. Together, the organisers aim to change mindsets and behaviors towards waste while also reducing Indonesia’s waste and plastic consumption.

Volunteers will take to the streets, mountains, rivers and oceans to pick up litter and make a change on Hari Bersih Indonesia. The event challenges people to raise awareness to the problem of waste and littering while helping to reduce the amount of litter that ends up in rivers and waterways, and ultimately, the oceans.

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The initiative is volunteer-based, and volunteers will be cleaning up in teams spread all across Indonesia in 34 provinces. This year’s theme centers around volunteers being superheroes in the fight against trash. As such, they will be seen wearing cosplay and superhero costumes as they pick up litter.

Hari Bersih Indonesia works with communities and NGOs such as Fornas Rintara Jaya and Drivers Clean Action to mobilise clean-ups in rural areas and on Indonesia’s islands. On the Island of Bali, Hari Bersih Indonesia is collaborating with One Island One Voice, an island-wide clean-up run by Bye Bye Plastic Bags. The Island of the Gods will be cleaning up at the same time, welcoming 10,000 volunteers on streets, rivers and beaches in the fight against Bali’s mounting plastic problem.

In other parts of Indonesia, businesses such as PT Adaro Energy, Eiger and Trakindo, will be mobilising employees at all of their nationwide branches to join in the cleanup efforts.

In Jakarta, volunteers will be picking up litter while marching on Car Free Day along the Jl. Thamrin corridor. The march will end at Thamrin 10, where Festival Hari Bersih Indonesia will take place in collaboration with Jakarta’s government, and in honor of Hari Peduli Sampah Nasional (National Trash Awareness Day).

The festival will showcase organisations working to reduce Indonesia’s waste footprint and will feature performances by rock artist Nugi and welcome VIPs such as acting Jakarta governor, Heru Budi Hartono.

However, there are also environmental executions that have gone wrong and should be taken into consideration. A National Environmental Agency installation in Singapore meant to raise awareness of the impact of disposable waste on the environment went sideways when environmentalists and green groups clapped back saying that the installation seemed to generate more unnecessary waste, defeating its purpose. 

The installation, called The Waste(less) cafe, was set up at Paya Lebar Quarter in early February and visitors were handed free cups of coffee in disposable paper and plastic cups. When they finished their drinks, visitors were asked to toss their used cups into the large, transparent installation. Titled The Waste Cafe, the booth quickly filled up with about 2,000 disposable cups in a matter of hours, according to NEA when MARKETING-INTERACTIVE reached out. 

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