Banjarmasin, S Kalimatan (ANTARA) - The ban on the use of plastic bags in retail and modern markets in the City of Banjarmasin has an impact on reducing plastic waste production from 15 percent to 12 percent.
"This success has encouraged the Banjarmasin City Government to expand the scope of the project to traditional markets," said Mayor Ibnu Sina in a press statement received here on Saturday.
"In the waste management and reduction program, Banjarmasin has a strategic policy through Mayor Regulation (Perwali) No. 60/2018 and Perwali No. 18 of 2016 to reduce the use of plastic bags in retail and modern markets," he said.
Ibnu was speaking at the “In-country Training Workshop on Smart Cities for Building Inclusive, Resilient, and Sustainable Cities and Communities” which was held in Bali.
Banjarmasin is one of the big cities in Indonesia with a population of around 700 thousand people.
The city is facing various environmental problems, including decreasing river water quality, decreasing air quality, and waste problems, he said.
To reduce waste, the city government has intensified the establishment of waste banks.
Meanwhile, to monitor water quality every day, the rivers in this city are equipped with the On Limo application.
Air quality monitoring is carried out using the AQMS system which can be accessed directly by the public.
The mayor said Banjarmasin had played a role in efforts to increase climate resilience through the establishment of climate villages.
Currently Banjarmasin has 52 climate villages to mitigate climate change, he said.
