Plastic waste is piling up in East Sumba
Plastic litter is spreading along roads and around homes. Our billboards in Waingapu raise awareness, but communities need regular waste collection.
This is what plastic waste in East Sumba looks like outside someone’s home. I took this photo this morning. Walk a little farther and you see the same thing again. Indomaret opened its first store in Waingapu in May 2024, and Alfamart was already operating in Melolo by August that year. Since those early openings, I’ve seen far more discarded bags and wrappers along roads and around homes. Goods in single-use packaging are easier to buy. The collection trucks haven’t kept up.
Plastic waste in East Sumba is a public health issue
Rubbish left around homes can attract rats. Rain can spread water contaminated by the urine of infected animals, exposing people to leptospirosis. A photo can’t tell us whether the bacteria are present. We don’t need to wait for people to get sick before collecting rubbish from where they live.
In Waingapu, we put up large billboards about sorting waste. We can show people how to sort their rubbish. But a sign cannot send a truck down a road. What are families supposed to do with what they’ve sorted if nobody comes to collect it?
On the roads and around the homes where we work, the district’s response falls short on all three counts: removing the waste that is already there, preventing more from piling up, and showing people where it can be taken. These are basic public services. Where are the collection points, the trucks and the public information families need to use them?
We’re asking the district authorities to publish a collection schedule, extend it to communities outside town and make safe disposal available. Retailers have a part to play too: cut unnecessary packaging and help take it back. People should be able to ask a simple question, and get an answer: when will you collect the waste on our road?
