Volunteer at the Recycling Village in Sumatra

A village dedicated to recycling and biodiversity

Located in Bukit Lawang, Sumatra, Indonesia, the Recycling Village is one of the largest villages built using sustainable and recycled materials. In fact, the builders used over 250 tonnes of plastic waste and natural materials such as bamboo. 
This project is led by a German NGO founded in 2019 by four people seeking to find a way to reduce plastic pollution in Indonesia. Around the Recycling Village, the team is carrying out various initiatives as part of a holistic approach to achieving a good balance between the local population and the preservation of biodiversity.

Here are the main components of the project

• The Recycling Village. This village, built using recycled and sustainable materials, is situated on the edge of the rainforest and covers an area of around 3 hectares. It comprises offices, a co-working space for residents, an educational centre for children, and a market dedicated to the sale of recycled materials…
• Eco-bricks. The NGO has played a major role in developing eco-bricks, which are made from plastic waste. An eco-brick is a plastic bottle filled with plastic waste that is difficult to recycle. The waste is first dried and cleaned before being compacted into plastic bottles. This is to prevent the growth of microorganisms inside the bottle. Eco-bricks were invented in Guatemala in 2003. At the time, Susanne Heisse collected plastic waste and sealed it inside bottles. She used these first ecobricks to build a wall. Her initiative has inspired people all over the world, from South America to South-East Asia and South Africa.

The waste bank at the heart of the project

• The Trash Bank. The Trash Bank is the centrepiece of the project. Waste is brought there by various collectors as well as by members of the public. Sometimes, it can be exchanged for money. When the waste arrives at the Trash Bank, the different materials are sorted, cleaned and dried. They are then ready for recycling. Some companies buy the waste compacted into blocks to use it in new manufacturing processes.
• The eco-farm: the NGO has several hectares at its disposal dedicated to organic farming. Today, in North Sumatra, palm oil monoculture continues to expand. However, this is a crop that depletes the soil and biodiversity and causes chemical pollution of waterways. The project has reintroduced organic mixed farming by replanting fruit trees and vegetables. Once a week, the whole team and the volunteers work together for an hour on the organic farm. 
• Medicinal plants: to ensure that knowledge of plants’ medicinal properties is not lost and to pass on this valuable knowledge, an entire garden is dedicated to medicinal plants.
• The educational aspect of the project is, of course, very important. Within the Recycling Village, classrooms welcome children from local communities for lessons on environmental protection as well as English lessons.