JAKARTA: A Church group dedicated to recycling waste is taking its practical environmental program beyond Catholics to the wider community.

"Now we want to move beyond Church circles because the waste issue is faced not only by the Church but all society," says Devi Christina, coordinator of Gropesh, a Jakarta archdiocesan group.

Gropesh was established in 2007. Since then it has put in place programs to recycle non-organic waste and make compost from organic waste which it sells. It also runs environmental training campaigns in schools and universities.

The group recently took part in the Green Festival in Jakarta ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.

Gropesh displayed items such as bags, dolls and stationery made from recycled materials. Members also explained how to recycle non-organic waste and make organic compost at the event organized by media groups and local corporations.

Christina said that Gropesh joined the event to motivate other young people to pay attention to the waste issue and be more creative in making use of waste. "Waste can create money," the laywoman said.

About 40 people from environmental groups in Catholic schools and parishes also joined the Green Festival.

Francisca Junita, from St. Gabriel Parish in Pulogebang in East Jakarta, said that her parish has been dealing with waste since 2005 when it began organic compost-making.

"Our motivation was to help preserve the environment because we have seen many disasters around the world due to climate change," the 19-year-old said.

She hopes the parish's efforts will motivate other young Catholics to focus on environmental issues.

The recycling and composting programs are also profitable.

Her group earns around two million rupiah (US$211) a month from selling organic compost in the parish and markets. "We use this money to buy materials needed for compost-making and for donations to victims of natural disasters," she said.

Junita Primandira, from St. Ursula Senior High School in Tangerang, just west of Jakarta,said that since 2007, her Catholic-run school encourages each student to bring used materials such as instant noodle bags, paper and cans to the school every day.

"We make wallets, dolls, bags and other things from the materials during extracurricular classes," she said.

The products are sold to students in the school as well as Catholics after Sunday Masses in parishes. The money is used to fund certain school programs.

Besides recycling non-organic waste, she continued, her school has also created biopores, or absorption holes, within the school area.

Biopores are made with a T-shaped iron bore, which creates a one-meter deep hole in the ground with a diameter of between 10 and 30 centimeters. The holes offer an increased surface area for insects and worms to break down organic waste. The holes also reduce water usage, helps plants grow and can prevent flooding during the rainy season.

Nugroho Yudho, an organizer of the Green Festival event, said that it aimed at making all people aware of the climate change happening around the world ahead of the Copenhagen meeting.

Besides the Church groups, some 40 secular groups dealing with environmental issues also participated.

Courtesy: UCAN