Reduce or Refuse Plastic?
The Contribution of Pesantren in Pasuruan
Frans Wijsen: comparative case-study
In the past, people depended on natural water sources or metered piped water, but nowadays the tendency is to buy bottled water, mainly because bottled water is considered healthier. However, this led to another issue related to bottled water: plastic waste. As a result the use of plastic in Indonesia has increased enormously, making the country the second largest contributor to plastic waste globally (WB 2021).
Many Islamic organisations, such as schools, produce mineral water and distribute it in plastic bottles and cups as a source of income. There is a list of 58 Islamic organizations in Indonesia, that have their own brand of mineral water, out of which seven are pesantrens, located in the Pasuruan Regency , East Java.
Frans Wijsen, together with Zaimatus Sa’diyah and Afnan Anshori, conducted a comparative case-study through open interviews with leaders of two of these seven pesantrens, with the objective to investigate the willingness of pesantrens to be involved in reducing plastic waste.
https://www.radbouduniversitypress.nl/site/chapters/e/10.54195/PKKR9573_CH15/
This paper is a chapter of the book: van Meijl T. & Wijsen F. 2023. Engaged Scholarship and Emancipation: 75 Years of Cultural Anthropology and Development Studies at Radboud University. https://www.radbouduniversitypress.nl/site/books/e/10.54195/PKKR9573/