Friday morning, March 8, 2024, 10 Friends of MoNa (Members of Nature) were already present in the courtyard of Bank Sampah Induk (BSI) Rumah Harum, Depok. They mingled with around 40 students from Universitas Pelita Harapan (UPH) who also participated in the event. That day, they were about to join MoNa in Action: Fun Action Learning to Sort Plastic Waste.

Just before the first agenda started, Siva Fauziyya, a Sahabat MoNa immediately took a seat in the front seat. She looked very enthusiastic, ready to absorb every word from the speaker, BSI Rumah Harum Founder Hermansyah. Attentively, she scrutinized Hermansyah's explanation, noting important points, making sure no details were missed.

After receiving the material, Siva toured the waste bank with other participants. She was interested to see the waste shredding process and even tried to put a plastic bottle cap into the machine herself. Furthermore, she paid close attention to the process of how the plastic bottles were pressed.

For Siva, this MoNa in Action was the first membership activity she participated in with WWF-Indonesia. At that time, she saw that this activity promised a more in-depth experience with a focus on plastic waste sorting and recycling.

Another thing that made Siva moved to join the activity after seeing the venue of the activity at BSI Rumah Harum. This waste bank is a waste management center supported by Plastic Smart Cities (PSC). PSC is an initiative launched by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) with the aim to inspire and encourage cities and coastal centers around the world to stop the leakage of plastic waste into nature by 2030.

Coincidentally, the location of the activity is in the city of Depok, not far from where Siva lives, this is the main factor for Siva to join "The problem is that the activity is related to the project being worked on, namely handling waste," he said. For her, this activity became a reference and an illustration of how to handle waste in other cities, which could be an inspiration for her project.

In this activity, Siva gained new insights, more than the knowledge she had gained before. From Hermansyah, she learned how inorganic waste is managed. She also saw how waste bank managers also encourage people to sort at home. To make it easier for people to deposit their waste, BSI Rumah Harum also provides a pick-up service for segregated waste donations. Other efforts made by BSI Rumah Harum also include accepting used cooking oil deposits, and opening a usable goods outlet for discarded goods that are still useful.

In fact, activities in waste banks like this are not new to Siva. Since she was in school, Siva often attended events related to waste management, but her knowledge was limited to organic, inorganic, and hazardous waste materials. Armed with this knowledge, she has implemented an environmentally friendly lifestyle in her daily life.

She added that waste such as plastic bottles or boxes are separated and handed over to collectors. "Neighbors collect scrap too," she said. However, there is no waste management in the neighborhood like at BSI Rumah Harum.

In addition to Siva, another MoNa Friend who participated in the activity and was willing to share her story was Tasya Aulia Malva. She listened to further explanations about the practice of waste sorting. With a clear plastic bottle in her right hand and a used beverage can in her left, Tasya watched the two types of waste carefully as they went into the trash cans that matched their categories.

Tasya has also long been active in the separation of inorganic waste. "I used to separate plastic waste the most, especially skincare bottles," she said.

Through her actions, Tasya participates in protecting the environment and the balance of nature by reducing the amount of plastic waste that pollutes the Earth. The practice also reinforces awareness of the importance of recycling and responsible waste management. Thus, what Tasya did not only gave her personal benefits in the form of points, but also made a meaningful contribution in preserving the environment for many people.