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Hi Unite Ideas solvers! My name is Khemal. Me and my friend/teammate, Amelina, are participating in this interesting and relatable challenge. We live in Indonesia, a country with 260 million people of diverse ethnicities, languages and backgrounds. With almost 5 million tonnes of waste produced in Indonesia in 2010 and 80% of the waste was managed inadequately (Ritchie and Roser, 2018), we are urged by the calling to solve the problem being posed at home. 

We see Unite Ideas as one of the potential channels to voice our idea and try to make it into reality. The idea is to reinvent the way FMCG waste being managed by proposing a worth executing app/ICT tool idea called EarthCare. Why EarthCare? And how can EarthCare help to achieve the goals? 

Firstly, let us explain why do we target FMCG waste for this.

FMCG companies rely so much on plastic packaging to ensure their products can be purchased by consumers safely. With the stable growth of FMCG consumption in Indonesia (Kantar, 2019), one can imagine the amount of waste being generated. Mismanagement of plastics, either from FMCG or other industries, which are disposed of in inadequate management, may enter the oceans, harm wildlife and cause plugging to the current water infrastructure. This is a natural sight in emerging economy countries where FMCG waste collection may not be sorted at all. So, it is very common for Amelina and I to end up having numerous plastic packages from personal care and fabric care products, as well as any kind of plastics piling up in our homes. We want to do something about the waste but we do not know how to sort and do it properly! 

Next, please listen to us on why it should be EarthCare and how it solves the problem.

We found out that FMCG companies with many organisations are actively seeking solutions to minimise the impacts that plastic packaging created (Unilever, 2018). The demand for improved recycling infrastructure is there, but there are challenges that create the recycling plastic industry deemed less attractive. Lower oil price causes competition to recycled plastic price and also the manual plastic collection by the scavengers and garbage sorting which results in more expensive and longer time operations (Global Business Guide Indonesia, 2017). 

EarthCare is the potential solution to solve manual plastic waste sorting and collecting inefficiency. EarthCare will bridge and connect consumers, who are the important actors in the waste cycle, with existing and new potential players in plastic’s circular economy. The system will provide online and onsite infrastructures. By partnering up with convenience stores and supermarkets, where most Indonesians get their FMCG products, consumers can scan their receipt/QR code printed on the receipt through EarthCare app. The scanning allows EarthCare to save the information of purchased products from the FMCG companies which partner up with us. 

We know it requires a certain type of incentive for Indonesian consumers to download our app and participate. First-timer app downloaders and receipt scanners will get a beautifully designed multi-purpose tote bag. The tote bag can be used to return the plastic packages to onsite vending machines located in train stations, convenience stores and supermarkets. Our app will send notifications on when to return the products based on intelligent predictions when the products finish or when the next shopping is. Interesting, right? Wait until we connect the waste collection from vending machines with existing circular economy players effectively based on the smart algorithm so we can eliminate unnecessary carbon dioxide emission from inefficient mobilisation and providing materials for targeted plastic industries.  

With an evolving reward and partnership system and also improving system, we believe it may change the behaviour of sorting waste and minimising plastic waste mismanagement until the infrastructure is ready. It is also a potential business opportunity to build and develop. We would love to hear your feedback and recommendations. Thank you for reading our idea. 

With excitement,

Khemal and Amelina.

Amelina Fauzan Lestari