The official day for National Waste Awareness in 2022 fell on Feb. 21. This year the aim was to increase awareness and improve collaborations from all elements of society regarding waste management from the climate perspectives that cover ecological, economic and social resilience of the community.
The Riau Islands Province celebrated the day on Feb. 27 with a half-day event filled with fun activities and stalls showcasing upcycled and recycled products from waste. The event was held at Taman Migas Tun Telani, Dompak Island, Tanjungpinang. In attendance were Environmental Agencies, waste bank groups, nonprofit organizations and other provincial departments.
We were invited by the Anambas Environmental Agency to take part in their booth. Two people from our team, Lilian and Ruli, went there to represent the Anambas Foundation at the event. They brought along with them a variety of upcycled products such as reusable bags, ecobricks, sand made from waste glass and coconut lights, all were made by the Kiabu community as part of our Integrated Waste Management and Women’s Empowerment programs.
They arrived in Tanjungpinang on Friday, two days before the D-day, and on Saturday spent the whole day decorating the booth. The Anambas Environmental Agency also brought products for the exhibition such as plastic handicrafts made by elementary school students in Tarempa, plastic flowers and a tissue box made from straws and newspapers.
On Sunday, the event started around seven in the morning with traditional dances. About two hours after the opening ceremony, Riau Province Governor Islands Ansar Ahmad arrived at the event to tour the area, he even made a stop at our booth and admired the products we were showcasing.
70 visitors visited our booth, throughout the event both Lilian and Ruli were busy answering questions from them about our upcycled products and the work that we do in Anambas Islands.
In total there were 14 waste banks, two green schools, three environmental agencies and one nonprofit organization that took part in the event. It was a complete surprise to us that out of all the tenants ours won second place for the best booth. We were invited to the main stage to receive the trophy and took a group picture.
This marked the first time we attended a public event where we showcased the upcycled products we created so far with the local community, and a chance for us to network with other organizations and officials from the Riau Islands Province. An eventful and memorable experience, and we look forward to more events like this in the future.