At the moment we’re crowdfunding so that we can open a new waste bank which might lead you to ask…
What is a waste bank?
A Waste Bank is a system of collecting and sorting solid waste that borrows on the concept of banking though what’s collected is not actually money, but waste.
‘Savers’ (customers) have a savings book and can earn credits to borrow money that will later be returned with solid waste worth the money borrowed. Waste deposited by the customers, who are community members local to the Waste Bank, gets weighed and valued with a sum of money.
How many Waste Banks are there?
According to data from the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry in 2018, it’s estimated that there are already approximately 8036 Waste Banks in 34 provinces within the country – 400 times more than compared to 2014.
However, there are still over 75,000 rural villages in Indonesia lacking waste management infrastructure.
How many Waste Banks does CLEAR Community manage?
In 2021 CLEAR Community helped established six Waste Banks. Between them they recycled 5226kg of waste, including 1749kg of plastic waste that would’ve been burnt or eventually have found its way into rivers and the ocean.
CLEAR’s aims for 2022:
- Increase the number of Waste Banks.
- Help existing Waste Banks become efficient, well managed and financially sustainable.
- Increase the use of Waste Banks.
- Widening the offering made by Waste Banks.
- Developing a strong cohort of volunteers.
The current crowdfunding campaign will enable us to hit our aims of opening more Waste Banks this year.
