Cash for trash: Indonesia village banks on waste recycling
Indonesia's crackdown on imported foreign waste has upset the village of Bangun, where residents say they earn more money sorting through piles of garbage than growing rice in once-lush paddy fields.
Overwhelmed by a spike in waste imports after China closed its doors to foreign garbage, Indonesia has tightened import rules and customs inspections, sending hundreds of tonnes of foreign waste back to their origin countries.
Green groups praised the crackdown, but Bangun residents say restricting trash from countries like the United States, Canada and Australia will wipe out a key source of income.
Workers sort plastics and scraps collected by scavengers at a collecting site.
Plastics sorted inside a basket are pictured at a collecting site.
Plastics sorted inside a basket are pictured at a collecting site.
Plastics sorted inside a basket are pictured at a collecting site.
Scraps sorted inside a basket are pictured at a collecting site.
Plastics sorted inside a basket are pictured at a collecting site.
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"Every year 17-20 people from this village go on a Haj. That's funded from this waste," he said.
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Indonesia has launched a plan to reduce marine plastic debris by 70% by 2025, pledging to spend $1 billion, but it is unclear how much progress has been made.
The government is behind schedule for setting up waste-to-energy plants, while a plan to impose a levy on plastic bags is facing strong opposition from the plastic industry.
Children lay down as they play on pile of rubbish at Bangun village.
Sunarni sits on a pile of rubbish as her son-in-law sorts rubbish at dusk.
Collected plastic waste is pictured before it is sorted.
Plastic waste from cat food packaging is pictured among rubbish.
A worker uses waste to burn as fuel at tofu factory.
Buadi, who is a scavenger from Sidoarjo, smokes cigarette as he takes rest.
Salam, 54, drinks coffee inside a stall with his grandson, before he starts work.
Sampi, a 56-year-old villager, holds up a damaged US dollar note that he found on a pile of rubbish.
Fish inside jerry cans are pictured at Brantas river bank.
Salam pulls off a net from his paddy field as he prepares to harvest.
A fisherman throws fish, caught from Brantas river, onto the land.
A bird flies above Brantas river.
