The WWF Indonesia Foundation together with the Derawan Island Village Government held a Public Consultation on Village Regulation on Waste Management at the Village Sports Hall. The event was attended by nearly 200 residents and a number of stakeholders, including representatives of the Berau Regency Environment and Hygiene Office (DLHK), sub-district government, academics, and representatives of the Tanjung Batu-Derawan Hygiene UPTD.

The initiative to develop this regulation was born from residents' unrest over waste management that has not been optimized. As a leading tourist destination, Derawan Island still has to transport waste to the temporary disposal site (TPS) in Tanjung Batu every week. This condition encourages the need for regulations that favor environmental cleanliness and comfort.

In his speech, H. Irwandi from DLHK Berau emphasized the importance of waste regulation as a condition for making Derawan Island a marine tourism destination that is free of waste. Cross-sector collaboration - government, NGOs, academics, and the community - is considered crucial to overcome the increasing volume of waste due to tourism activities.

The chairman of the Derawan Island Village Consultative Body (BPK), Faisal Rito, emphasized that public consultation is important so that the community understands and supports the contents of the regulation. The draft regulation includes clauses on the duties of the village government, the role of the community, service fees, and sanctions for violations that pollute the environment.

"Public consultation regarding Derawan Island Village Regulation on Waste Management needs to be carried out to ensure that the community knows and agrees to the regulation. We hope that in the future the implementation of the policy can be supported and followed by the entire Derawan Island community," said Faisal.

Guided by academic Sufraidy Syam, the discussion session was active. Residents expressed their views regarding the amount of waste service tariffs tailored to the type of building (residential, lodging, office), waste management from tour operators, to the waste sorting system. The enthusiasm of the residents showed their high attention to environmental management.

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To support the policy implementation, WWF-Indonesia is building a TPS3R (Reduce-Reuse-Recycle Waste Processing Station) facility that will be donated to the village government. This facility will be equipped with training for local operators from the Derawan Island community. The village head, Indra Mahardika, said that the facility will be named RUPIAH (Rumah Pilah Sampah) and will be part of the effort to reduce waste at the source.

The hope is that the community will not only sort waste from home, but also play an active role in the sustainability of an effective waste management system. An information board has been installed in front of the TPS3R site as part of the environmental education campaign.

The consultation was closed with the signing of the minutes of agreement by the parties, including DLHK Berau, UPTD Kebersihan, sub-district and village governments, Pokdarwis, PKK, RT heads, Navy, Derawan Police, and WWF Indonesia. This minutes reinforces the joint commitment to realize a waste-free Derawan.

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The next step is juridical and substance testing by the legal bureau, as a requirement before the regulation is officially passed. If successful, Derawan Island will be the first village in the Derawan Islands to have a community-based waste management regulation.

"The successful ratification of this regulation will make Derawan Island Village a pioneer in waste management in the archipelago," said the Village Head, Indra Mahardika..