August 7, 2025 | 08:26 am
TEMPO.CO, Surabaya - The Ecological Study and Wetland Conservation Institute (Ecoton) urged the Australian Government to stop sending waste to Indonesia through a protest held at the Australian Consulate General in Surabaya on Wednesday, August 6, 2025. The participants, dressed in black, brought written statements and symbols in front of the ESA Sampoerna building in Surabaya, the location of the Kangaroo State Consulate.
In the protest, the mass procession brought a glass cabinet containing a stack of plastic waste. Inside the waste stack was a replica of a baby. "Symbolizing that plastic waste is dangerous for babies," said Alaika Rahmatullah, the coordinator of the protest.
Citing Ecoton data, Alaika mentioned that Australia had sent 22,000 tons of plastic waste to Indonesia in 2023-2024. Researched since 2020, Ecoton recorded that there are already 2.7 billion kilograms of paper waste (HS 4707) from Australia that has entered Indonesia over the last five years. These wastes are contaminated with plastic scrap - residual production waste. In total, there is an average of 542,000 tons of plastic waste per year coming from that country.
There are three demanded points echoed in the protest. Firstly, Ecoton demands the cessation of all forms of plastic waste export from Australia to Indonesia. Secondly, Australia is asked to support an ambitious, binding, and just global plastic agreement. The third demand is for the Governments of Australia and Indonesia to actively protect human health, biodiversity, and the environment from hazardous chemicals in plastic.
Alaika added that Australia also sent 22,333 tons of plastic waste to Indonesia in 2023-2024. This number increased by 27.9 percent from the previous two-year period, which was still around 16,100 tons. "This poses a significant threat to the community and becomes a burden of disease in Indonesia," she said.
Risk of Fetus Being Exposed to Plastic Particles
The Head of the Ecoton Laboratory, Rafika Aprilianti, in a separate interview, said that their organization also found that Australian plastic waste triggers dioxin pollution in Tropodo Village and Gedangrowo Village in Sidoarjo Regency, as well as in Pagak District, Malang Regency.
According to her, this sent waste has the potential to add to the burden of microplastic contamination in Indonesia. Moreover, recent research shows that microplastics are now found in meconium, the first stool of newborn babies. 'Indicating that exposure to plastic particles starts from the fetal period,' said Rafika.
Ecoton's research also revealed that the stages of this plastic waste breaking down into microplastics, penetrating the placenta, and eventually entering the amniotic fluid. Rafael mentioned that the samples for this finding were collected from female scavengers, a group vulnerable to exposure to plastic waste.
As a result, Ecoton's research team found 88 particles from 26 blood samples, 107 particles from 11 amniotic fluid samples, and 52 particles from 9 urine samples. The organization concluded that the womb is no longer a safe space for the fetus. This is because microplastics have been found in the placenta, amniotic fluid, umbilical cord blood, and maternal blood.
"These particles can cause the fetus to experience oxidative stress, hormonal disturbances, and fetal DNA damage," said Rafika.
Editor's Choice: Ecoton Research Finds Microplastics in Drinking Water and River Fish in East Java
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