Within the few months since we brought ‘Bye Bye Plastic Bags’ to Springfield, we’ve learnt that our mission stretches far beyond reducing plastic pollution. At times like this, our mission is simple: help!

Help the environment. Our biggest event this semester, ‘Release the Grease’, is an effort to reduce oil pollution in our waterways. Over the span of three months, we collected over 250 litres of used cooking oil from our community. We worked together with Beli Jelantah and Olah Kebaikan, where our used cooking oil was recycled into eco-friendly biofuel. The dirty oil that would have destroyed our ecosystem is now clean.

Help others around the world. The disaster in Beirut that shook Lebanon in early August was not lost on us. We cared. We had a platform, and we had the opportunity and the means to put it to use. So we did. We worked with more than five businesses and collected over Rp 800.000 within a week. The proceeds were donated to the Lebanese Red Cross. Although the amount we donated may be trivial, it meant something for us, and that was enough.

Throughout the months, we also participated in online strikes for world clean up day, and the creation of a video about Jakarta’s plastic ban—both organised by ‘Bye Bye Plastic Bags’, Jakarta.

It has been a long ride through this semester, and we hope to return to school soon, when we can truly set our ‘Bye Bye Plastic Bags’ plan into motion. But for now, “helping” has suited us just fine. You can support us even further by following our Instagram account  @byebyeplasticbags.sf