Tarakan– Pertamina EP (PEP) Tarakan Field held a PET Plastic Bottle Creation Competition and an Environment Day Seminar for junior and senior high school students in Tarakan City, North Kalimantan. Carrying the same theme as the United Nations in 2023, namely Solutions for Plastic Pollution, PEP is carrying out this activity to commemorate World Environment Day.

PEP Tarakan Field HSSE Superintendent Ramona Ginting explained that the amount of waste in Indonesia had reached 23 million tonnes, where 18% of the waste is plastic waste which takes a very long time to decompose. Therefore, according to Ramona, the company is committed to supporting solutions to the waste problem, mainly plastic.

“The PET Plastic Bottle Creation Competition aims to reduce waste, especially used bottles and increase the added value of these used bottles. Through this competition, the participants become more concerned and wiser in managing plastic waste, so that they are expected to become agents of change in their respective schools,” added Ramona.

The assessment of PET plastic bottle waste creations is based on utility or usability, originality or authenticity of the work, creativity in making unique products and adding value to these waste products, and the composition of PET plastic bottle waste.

1st place in the PET Plastic Bottle Creation Competition was won by the “Creative Fashion” group from SMAN 2 Tarakan City by creating a trash bin from used bottles. The results of the PET bottle plastic waste made by the participants included eco brick tables and chairs, trash cans, aquariums, and hydroponic growing media.

Tarakan City Education Office, Widi, also expressed his appreciation to the participants who have enthusiastically carried out very creative recycling results so that the used plastic bottles can be reused and have added value, as well as inviting all participants to continue to develop their creativity in recycling plastic bottle waste.

On a separate occasion, PEP Tarakan Field Manager Isrianto Kurniawan revealed that every day the city of Tarakan produces around 194 tons of waste, of which only 156 tons are managed at the TPA. “The majority of unmanaged waste is plastic waste,” he said.

Therefore, according to Isrianto, this competition is part of the company’s 3R (Reuse, Reduce, Recycle) program and is a concrete step to continue to support the Government in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), especially goal 12, namely consumption and production. Responsible.

“We will continue to carry out environmentally friendly oil and gas operations as well as efforts for environmental sustainability for a better future,” he concluded.

PT Pertamina EP (PEP) Tarakan Field is part of the Subholding Upstream Pertamina Regional 3, which PHI leads. In carrying out the management of upstream oil and gas operations and business according to the principles of ESG (Environment, Social, Governance), PEP Tarakan Field, together with other PHI subsidiaries and affiliates, carry out innovative Social and Environmental Responsibility programs in the fields of Economy, Education, Health, Environment, Infrastructure, and Disaster Response to support sustainable community empowerment and the achievement of Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs). PHI is headquartered in Jakarta. Further information on PHI is available at https://phi.pertamina.com.