The habit of drinking coffee has touched all levels of Indonesian society. In fact, there are many young people who find it difficult to escape from drinking coffee. Unfortunately, the habit of drinking coffee by the Indonesian people is already at a dangerous stage, especially from the consumption of instant coffee sachets. It is very convenient to consume, but the threat posed by the waste is actually very concerning.
Unpopular Sachet Packaging Waste
The packaging used for coffee sachets is generally multi-layered plastic. The reason is none other than to maintain the quality of the coffee, so it won’t be easily damaged and lasts for years. Although good for coffee quality, sachet packaging threatens environmental and human sustainability, because we know that it’s classified as inorganic waste. Moreover, sachet packaging waste has a low waste value, so it’s not that “popular” in the waste recycling industry. This condition makes sachet packaging waste potentially end up piling up in rivers and seas.
The Role of Manufacturers and Consumers
The government has regulated that each manufacturer must be responsible for the future of the waste generated by their products. Considering that every year there are tens of billions of plastic packaging produced by the instant food and beverage industry in Indonesia. So, it is necessary to maximize its waste handling. In addition, manufacturers can slowly switch to more environmentally friendly packaging materials instead of multi-layered plastics.
Meanwhile, what we can do as consumers is to reduce the consumption of sachet coffee. Especially the consumption of instant coffee that one sachet is only for one drink. If you can’t reduce it, you can switch to coffee products with recyclable packaging. It’s actually not hard to find, because now there are brands that offer coffee in packaging that is even aluminum-free and 100% biodegradable.
In addition to the role of manufacturers and consumers, the government is also obliged to handle the problem of coffee sachet waste more massively. Whether it’s through monitoring or granting a production permit that is even more stringent.