Textile waste accumulates in landfills, seas, rivers, or is burned and eventually has a negative impact on the environment. The government through the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) has also drafted the second phase of the Regulation of the Minister of Environment and Forestry Number 75 of 2019 which regulates the responsibility of producers for their products, starting from waste reduction planning, implementation, evaluation, and reporting. The regulation will specifically regulate the responsibility of manufacturers to reduce textile waste. Producers in the textile sector, ranging from large to MSME players, are asked to make a road map for handling waste reduction, as is done by producers in the food and beverage sector, products made from plastic and metal.
"Now there are 120 producers who have submitted concepts to reduce waste from their production processes and we will also apply this to the textile sector," said Director of Waste Reduction of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Vinda Damayanti Ansjar, in Jakarta, Tuesday, August 8, 2023.
Vinda said the government also plans to provide rewards in the form of additional incentives in the form of business capital to encourage business actors to implement waste reduction and report it through a road map.
"Because at this time we have just arrived at awarding letters, in the future we will arrange incentives," he said.
The problem of textile waste has also moved designer Chitra Subyakto's heart. Through the fashion business that has been initiated since September 2021, Chitra turns textile waste or clothes that are not suitable for use into fashion products with sales value of up to millions of rupiah.
"People can also send clothes in any condition, torn, perforated, patchwork, as long as it's not polyester, we can recycle it. That is a form of citizen contribution as well," said Chitra.
During September 2021 to May 2023, his party has collected 5,719 kilograms of recycled used clothing. Various products were created ranging from clothing, bags, insulating fibers, insulators, sound absorbers, threads, fabrics, and accessories. These fashion products are used by the public, artists, and have even targeted international customers such as Malaysia and Singapore.
Reduce textile waste
Chitra invites the community to jointly contribute to reducing the amount of textile waste through three steps as smart consumers to preserve the environment and save future generations. The first step is to buy clothes that can be used for a long time and do not lose trend and avoid polyester materials because they do not decompose easily.
Second, there is no shame in wearing clothes repeatedly and public figures have started campaigning for this. Finally, don't immediately throw away clothes that are damaged, but repair them.
“We can also organize social gatherings such as exchanging clothes with our friends. I also often get hand-me-downs from my mother, from friends too,” said Chitra.
Environmental Observer from the Bogor Agricultural Institute (IPB), Suprihatin, said that textile waste is a problem that the government must immediately solve because more and more people are throwing away clothes that are deemed to be inappropriate.
"We can look in the mirror from the KLHK information system data. In 2021, around 2.3 million tonnes of textile waste will be generated, while only 0.3 million tonnes will be recycled," he explained.
He said it was time for the government to move more massively and increase outreach regarding the handling of textile waste, such as plastic, organic and metal waste.
"Management must be even better, including reviewing, studying technology that can be used to recycle textiles, considering that there are also various types, and providing special disposal facilities," he said.
