Empowering Youth for Sustainable Waste Management, Protecting the Welang River

The Welang River in East Java, Indonesia, is a vital resource for the nearby communities providing water for daily use and supporting local agriculture. However, as cities expand and populations grow, the river has faced increasing problems such as flooding, erosion and pollution. In response, the Governments of Indonesia and the Netherlands, through its Partners for Water programme have initiated the Welang River Basin Transformation Project to tackle these challenges and protect both the river and the people who depend on it. This is the second article in the miniseries on the Welang River Basin project, highlighting the role of youth in sustainable waste management. Click here to find other articles in the series.

Waste disposal in the river can lead to flooding, as the accumulation of waste can block drainage systems. In this context, youth engagement in environmental protection, particularly in waste management, is pivotal. Youth has the potential to be the “agents of change” in keeping the river clean from waste by implementing innovative and sustainable waste management practices and sharing the practices with other generations.

Empowering youth in waste management begins with education, making schools crucial platforms in fostering awareness and encouraging better behaviours such as sorting and recycling to ultimately reduced waste that enters rivers. Recognizing this, the Welang River Basin Transformation organised waste management workshops for two public elementary schools (Sekolah Dasar Negeri-SDN) in the Welang Catchment Area: SDN Sukorejo and SDN Tambakrejo. These schools, located in flood-prone regions, were strategically chosen as they serve as contained communities and provide an excellent opportunity to engage youth as potential agents of change in their local communities. The workshops were facilitated by Forum Kabupaten Pasuruan Sehat (FKPS) under the leadership of Mr. Apri, demonstrating a collaborative effort to address environmental challenges through education.

The workshops included in-class presentations and hands-on activities focused on waste sorting, creating simple biopore infiltration holes and using stacked buckets. The students actively participated and responded with enthusiasm. During the workshop, SDN Sukorejo students brought their household waste to school, while those at SDN Tambakrejo acted as “waste detectives,” collecting and sorting waste on campus. They organised waste into organic and inorganic categories, disposing of organic waste in biopore holes or stacked buckets. To keep the learning process engaging, competitions were introduced that encouraged proper waste sorting.

While a more extensive educational programme is indeed necessary for sustained behavioural change, this workshop provided foundational knowledge on the link between mismanaged waste, flooding, waste sorting and waste recycling. This initiative aims to improve awareness among youth on river conditions and waste management, empowering them to protect and preserve their environment for the life of future generations.