Jakarta, November 24, 2019 – Agung Concern is channeling its concern for the waste problem in Tabanan by implementing the Eco Ranger program. The Eco Ranger program was initially established by the Greeneration Foundation (GF) as a response to the waste problem in various regions in Indonesia. In collaboration with the Greeneration Foundation, Agung Concern held an opening ceremony and the first waste management workshop on Sunday (11/24/2019) at the Mambang Village Hall, Selemadeg Timur District, Tabanan Regency.

The workshop involved various stakeholders, including government officials, NGOs, and the community, who discussed and shared their views on waste management and the implementation of the EcoRanger program in Mambang Village. This three-month program, which ran until January 2020, implemented the concept of empowering local communities to support Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) as part of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This program is expected to assist the government in developing waste management strategies and infrastructure that will support the community’s economy without sacrificing environmental sustainability. During this first workshop, the Mambang Village community and Agung Toyota Bali employees, members of the EcoRanger program, received training on managing waste according to its type using the 3R principle (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle).

As a series of Agung Concern’s CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) programs, this activity is one manifestation of the company’s values. “We have Incredible values, namely integrity, respect, responsibility and courage. Well, one of the manifestations of the value of respect is by caring for the environment where we live. The implementation for this year we are exploring the environmental realm, especially the problem of waste which has become a national issue. Even in Bali, a special Regional Regulation Number 47 of 2019 has been created. And it feels like a kind of mutual response between Agung Concern, Bali and the various parties involved.

“Our company was founded in 1954, so we’re almost 66 years old. To celebrate this anniversary, we wanted to choose a CSR program that would be more effective for the community. From various program options, we ultimately chose this wise waste management program. We had the assistance of a team from the Greeneration Foundation as one of our consultants and discovered that one of the villages here has a Community Self-Help Group (KSM), called KSM Bantas Lestari. With their help and the experienced KSM, we sat down to discuss it. We learned that the waste problem in Bali has also attracted international attention. So, we’re starting with small steps to manage this waste problem. This program will continue. This is one model, and will be expanded to seven other provinces. We will hold programs in Bengkulu, Jambi, Riau, and the Riau Islands,” explained Nurdjaya Andy, Chief Administrative Officer of Agung Concern, accompanied by Livia Panjaitan, Corporate Communications Manager of Agung Concern.

He said this village was chosen because several proposals had been received. “Who has a waste management system? At least someone already exists, someone who cares. After being screened from several proposals by our consultant, we found KSM Bantas Lestari. They’ve already started and won a national championship. So now we’re focusing on another area, namely Mambang Village, by emulating this successful example,” said Nurdjaya.

According to research conducted by the Greeneration Foundation and KSM Bantas Lestari, the implementing agency, each person in Mambang Village produces an average of 0.8 kilograms of waste per day. Multiplied by the population, this results in a total of approximately 2.7 tons of waste generated by Mambang Village per day. The primary composition of this waste is organic waste from kitchen activities and Balinese Hindu religious activities. The second largest is plastic waste. Most of this waste is burned, which ultimately pollutes the air and threatens public health. “We want to start with research and not be haphazard in developing this program. We hope the program will be more targeted and beneficial to the community,” he added.

“Besides environmental awareness, our other CSR program focuses on education. This year, we’ve added an environmental awareness program. Two more locations will be added: the Jakarta headquarters, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), and Lampung. The program will be implemented with the same process. We will also select foster villages. The benefit of this activity is that we know that waste can be managed at its source. What is that source? First, from the community, from homes. It starts with waste sorting. I believe that if everyone takes action, we can manage this waste properly. For example, by using reusable plastic instead of single-use plastic, at least we’ve reduced this environmental problem. And this is true in all regions. Almost universally, the waste problem increases: as the population increases, the waste problem increases,” said Nurdjaya.

Meanwhile, Mahmud Fauzi, Regional Manager of Agung Toyota for the East Region, expressed the benefit of this activity, which is the hope of raising public awareness of environmental cleanliness, and this program is more focused on community empowerment. “We chose Mambang Village because there was Bantas Village nearby, which could serve as a model. Therefore, changes will be accepted more quickly because there’s already a good example,” he said.

According to Mahmud, “Bali is actually supported by the Governor’s Regulation and the Regional Regulation, and we commend it. Among the provinces in Indonesia, Bali is considered advanced because it cares so much about the environment. Indeed, Bali’s livelihood depends on tourism; if the environment is damaged, tourism will certainly be threatened. And if we look at the Balinese people, their livelihoods are highly dependent on tourism, as many work in hotels and restaurants. We also have Eco Rangers (volunteers) from employees of Agung Toyota branches throughout Bali. So, we have a similar program not only for the community but also internally. We encourage waste management at Agung Toyota branches to follow these methods. Furthermore, our employees also pass this on to their respective communities,” Mahmud said.