RAEL’S COMMENT:
The fruits of capitalism!
A crisis of plastic waste in Indonesia has become so acute that the army has been called in to help.
Rivers and canals are clogged with dense masses of bottles, bags and other plastic packaging.
Officials say they are engaged in a “battle” against waste that accumulates as quickly as they clear it.
The commander of a military unit in the city of Bandung described it as “our biggest enemy”.
Like many rapidly developing countries, Indonesia has become notorious for struggling to cope with mountains of rubbish.
A population boom has combined with an explosive spread of plastic containers and wrapping replacing natural biodegradable packaging such as banana leaves.
The result is that local authorities trying to provide rubbish collection have been unable to keep up with the dramatic expansion of waste generated.
And a longstanding culture of throwing rubbish into ditches and streams has meant that any attempt to clean up needs a massive shift in public opinion.
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