Managing plastic waste continues to be a challenge, especially in remote, small islands across Indonesia and around the world. In response to this problem, CTC has provided a plastic waste shredding machine to the community of Ay Island as part of our support to manage the islands’ marine resources.  The machine, whose shredding capacity could reach 50 kgs per hour, is expected to be able to help the local communities in Ay and Rhun islands manage plastic waste independently. The shredder was shipped to Ay Island last month from Ambon. To develop a comprehensive plastic waste management plan, CTC aims to hold a series of trainings on plastic waste management for local community groups between August and October, 2021. The Lawere Community Surveillance Group (Pokmaswas) will also set up a small processing center and take charge of managing the plastic waste, which is expected to come from both Ay and the neighboring Rhun islands. Plastic waste that has been cleaned, sorted, and shredded will be sent to Banda Neira or Ambon to be processed by waste processing organizations. Income from the sale of shredded plastic waste is expected to increase village income and contribute to financing marine conservation activities.

Meanwhile, last month, the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF) also provided IDR 92 million worth of facilities and equipment to support Pokmaswas Lawere’s proactive conservation activities. The support, provided through its Conservation Mobilization for Community Group (KOMPAK) program, included three-wheeled vehicles, laptops, printers, basic diving equipment, underwater flashlights, and underwater cameras, which can be useful for supporting the group’s daily activities. The handover took place on June 18, 2021 at the Maulana Hotel in Banda Neira Island and was facilitated by the Coastal and Marine Resource Management Unit (PSPL) – Sorong. The Head of Community Surveillance Group (Pokmaswas) Suriyadi Karto said that the Pokmaswas members has committed to optimize the use of this equipment and will do regular maintenance so that all tools and machines will last longer.

The Ay-Rhun Islands MPA covers an area of 47.968 hectares. The MPA has been officially proposed by the Governor of Maluku and is currently in the process of being determined by the MMAF. CTC has been supporting the local government, partners and communities in Ay Island since 2012 to design and develop a resilient MPA through zoning and management plans, as well as capacity-building activities such as training and workshops. CTC field staff also collect biophysical and socioeconomic data on a regular basis to monitor the progress of the MPA.

Photos: La Ode Junaidin/CTC