Sobirin and Waste Returned to IDR 464 Million for Residents

GARISBUMI.com – In Darling Village, waste does not always end up in the landfill. Plastic bottles, cardboard, cans and various inorganic items that are usually considered useless are actually sorted, weighed, and then returned for their value to residents.

The change didn't happen overnight. There is a long process to convince the public that sorting waste from home is not a waste of work. Behind this movement, there is Sobirin, a figure who since 2020 has been diligently mobilizing the Environmentally Conscious Waste Bank or Darling.

When the movement started, the amount of waste collected had only reached 1,197 kilograms. This figure may seem small when compared to a city's waste generation. However, for Sobirin and the residents of Kampung Darling, this amount is the starting point for building new habits.

House after house they started to separate their waste. Inorganic items that were previously mixed with food waste began to be collected separately. Waste is no longer viewed solely as something that must be thrown away immediately, but as material that still has value.

Slowly, the habit grew. The number of residents participating increases, as does the volume of waste that is successfully managed.

Until 2025, the Darling Waste Bank has managed 161,794 kilograms or almost 162 tons of inorganic waste. This waste does not end up piling up in landfills, but rather goes back into the utilization chain.

From this management, an economic value of IDR 464,723,363 has been returned directly to the community.