The largest recycling village in the world

In 2019, around 368 million tons of plastic were produced worldwide – around 18 million tons of this in Germany alone. By 2050, there could be more plastic than fish swimming in the ocean. These are frightening findings, aren’t they? We want to introduce you to an extremely dedicated project in Indonesia that is listed on our platform: Project Wings. Project Wings makes use of this plastic waste and creates something gigantic out of it – the largest village of plastic waste in the world. Learn more!

The danger of plastic waste

If you thought that most plastic waste is recycled, we’re sorry to disappoint you. By 2015, a total of 6.9 billion tons of plastic waste had been generated worldwide. Only 9 percent of this was recycled. 12 percent was incinerated and 79 percent landfilled or disposed of in the environment. Industrialized countries export their plastic waste on top of that – some tons go to Indonesia.

Plastic waste in the world’s oceans is particularly serious for the environment and especially for wildlife. This is because plastic is not biodegradable. Instead, it breaks down into smaller and smaller particles under the influence of nature and eventually ends up everywhere: in the sea, in the Arctic ice, in the mountains. Researchers have discovered microplastics even in the most remote areas. A plastic bag takes at least 20 years to decompose in the ocean. A plastic bottle 450 years and a fishing line even 600 years.

Every day we eat, drink and breathe plastic. According to researchers, we unconsciously consume 2000 small plastic particles per week, which amount to about 5 grams. This is comparable to the weight of a credit card. This thought is crazy, isn’t it? There are warnings that the chemicals in plastics cause serious health problems, from allergies and obesity to infertility, cancer and heart disease. But how can you also take advantage of plastic and create something positive with it?

An impressive village of plastic waste

It is so inspiring to see how Project Wings deals with plastic waste. From the outside, the little village with its beautiful wooden bungalows in a breathtaking natural setting already looks very special. But when you realize that the houses were made from plastic waste, among other things, the whole place is even more impressive.

Project Wings is a young non-governmental organization that aims to combat three of the world’s biggest problems: species extinction, rainforest deforestation and the ongoing plastic flood. To this purpose, Project Wings is building the largest plastic waste/recycling village in the world. In doing so, they are positioning themselves as a pioneer for this issue.

Nature is cleaned up and sustainable awareness is created. Environmental education and the completion of the recycling village are top priorities for the locals and those working in the village. People will be made aware of sustainability issues. In addition, the position of local women who take on leadership roles will be strengthened.

In 2018, Project Wings expanded the idea of Ecobricks in Bukit Lawang. An Ecobrick is a plastic bottle packed with used plastic at a certain density that serves as a reusable building block for making various items. So local people get paid when they collect plastic waste and then hand it over cleaned and dried and stuffed into a PET bottle. For each plastic brick weighing around ½ kg, a person receives IDR 5,000 (= a warm meal, around 30 cents).

Plastic receives an equivalent value, helps people to earn an additional income and is ultimately built in isolation. (…) A total of around 250 tons of plastic waste is to be removed from nature and isolated in the walls to build the largest recycling village in the world.

We think this concept is genius, what do you think?

Project Wings on socialbnb

We are very happy to be able to offer you unique accommodation at Project Wings. There are four options: a cute wooden bungalow with two single beds, a minimalist bungalow directly on the water with two single beds, a bungalow with a double room and access to its own beautiful garden or a whole bungalow with garden access. The overnight rates for the different options are in the price range of 7 to 18 euros per night – absolutely insane. Which option would you choose?

On site you can do different activities and excursions on request. For one, you can get a project tour of the largest recycling village in the world. In addition, the area is ideal for sports and action activities such as trekking tours, swimming in the river and activities such as tubing and caving. No matter what you choose, your stay will be unforgettable.