Dinar and Waste Issu at School

In a world dominated by plastic waste, Dinar, an 18-year-old girl, takes a stand and leads a movement to tackle the waste problem in her school.

Dinar, an 18-year-old, joined the second Youth Voice Now bootcamp in 2022 after being invited by a friend. Being impressed with the activities and the knowledge and skills she gained, Dinar decided to participate in all the bootcamp sessions.

But it didn't stop at the training. Youth Voice Now members practiced what they learned from the bootcamp in their daily lives. One of their regular sessions is   problem identification in their environment. Here, Dinar engaged in a series of discussions with other members, members of OSIS (student council), and the Youth Voice Now team regarding the issues faced by young people.

Dinar and her schoolfellows identified the problems in their school environment. Among them, the issue of waste stood out as a major concern within and around the school premises. They believed that this condition contributed to the increased cases of dengue fever during the rainy season.

Armed with the results of their identification and observations, Dinar and the student council facilitator approached the school principal. It was from this point that Dinar stood up and spoke out her concern and suggestion to use reusable drink containers (tumblers) for all the students in the school.

As a result, the school issued a circular regarding the policy for using reusable drink containers and lunch boxes. Dinar happily reports, "Now, many of our friends bring their own water bottles and food containers to school. The school's response has been very positive because this small step helps reduce plastic waste production in the school." (Dimas & HUA).