Marc Helwing: “A functioning garbage collection system is essential”

Sumatra is the sixth largest island in the world and has a unique flora and fauna to offer. But the Indonesian island is literally flooded with plastic waste and the species-rich rainforest is increasingly being transformed into monocultural palm oil plantations, many people live in poverty. But Marc, Basti, Leonie and Erich do not want to accept this. Together they founded Project Wings in 2019 - with the aim of building the largest recycling village in the world on Sumatra. A great, innovative project that you can also support by buying share products . We spoke to Marc - one of the four founders - about Project Wings, the challenges on Sumatra and the huge potential of recycling.

Dear Marc, can you tell us when and how Project Wings was founded? What are your motivations and goals?

The four of us had previously worked for large aid organizations for several years and met while working as fundraisers across Germany. We discovered that we are very good at inspiring people to do good and help. Collecting donations for good causes was a lot of fun for us and we could imagine working for aid organizations forever. We knew that fewer and fewer people in Germany were donating. Through our face-to-face work with passers-by in the pedestrian zones, we found out what really motivates people to donate - we wanted to and were able to put this knowledge to good use. And then one of us already had a small project in Indonesia. All of these steps led us to found the organization in 2019 and set up a professional project with which we can make a difference together in the long term.

What are the challenges in Indonesia, especially in Sumatra, and how did you become aware of them?

The fact that we became aware of the special challenges in Sumatra was initially pure coincidence. Basti had already been working there on a small project and knew the place Bukit Lawang, "the gateway to the rainforest", through a friend. The village is located directly on the rainforest with the second highest biodiversity in the world and is also the easiest entrance to the rainforest for visitors. This makes Bukit Lawang one of the most important strategic points, because it is where researchers come together, people who want to protect the species-rich environment. Palm oil, ecotourism vs. "normal" tourism, which displaces a lot, a model for the whole of Indonesia - these are just a few of the topics and keywords that predestine the region as a pilot project for development cooperation. This creates good conditions for setting up a garbage collection service, planting trees, trying permaculture instead of monoculture and much more. Many people look at Bukit Lawang and come here. The place therefore also serves as a source of knowledge and an incentive for other people who take their experiences from Sumatra with them to other villages. Of course, you can't compare Sumatra with Bali, but Sumatra is still a relatively touristy place that attracts a lot of people, so we get the necessary attention for the important projects here.

What is the current situation on the ground, what is Sumatra particularly struggling with?

At the beginning there was no garbage collection here, that is a major fundamental problem that we always have to address first. There are thousands of residents, but no system to dispose of their garbage. Everything is thrown in one place, burned, buried or dumped in the rainforest. In the rainforest, on the other hand, you often come across illegal deforestation or animals that are stolen and sold on the black market. Due to the ever shrinking habitat, animals are moving to people's fields and habitats, which creates new conflicts. The focus here is on environmental protection and education, because fortunately there is no famine locally. It is more about proper infrastructure, proper environmental protection - garbage collection, roads, electricity, sustainable energy and health to improve the local situation and protect biodiversity.

You want to build the world's largest recycling village in Sumatra. How exactly will this village be built and what successes can you already celebrate?

It all starts with garbage collection, which is now on a pretty good path in Sumatra. We have now managed to set up a complete trash bank - recycling plants, public garbage collection and garbage collection vehicles. This means that the garbage that previously ended up in nature is in most cases collected, sorted, washed and to a certain extent processed. Of course, this is never 100% effective, even in Germany. You always have to look at which garbage can be recycled and how this can ideally be self-financed - for example by selling recyclables that can be resold and used. We planned, set up and financed this garbage collection together with the government and regional organizations.

There is no use for certain types of plastic waste that cannot be recycled. At the same time, there is a lack of money for the construction of public buildings - educational centers, compost houses, marketplaces, offices. Cement, for example, is as expensive locally as it is in Germany, although local people only have a tenth or twelfth of our income. Broken roads and long transport routes make things even more difficult. Together with the Koblenz University of Applied Sciences, the University of Münster and the University of Stuttgart, we therefore looked for a way to build buildings locally from this one type of plastic waste and came across Ecobricks - bottles filled with plastic waste that are used as building blocks. This system already existed and we were able to further optimize and professionalize the existing process with our experts. Washed and insulated, the plastic - if it meets the right conditions - is no longer waste, but a newly processed raw material, a building material. With bamboo, wood, clay, palm leaves and the Ecobricks, buildings can be built regionally using rapidly renewable raw materials. Cement is only sometimes still needed for the foundations so that the houses can last for years.

What potential do you see in Ecobricks? What needs to be done to ensure that Ecobricks can be used more frequently – also in other regions?

The most important thing at the beginning is always to set up a functioning garbage collection service – that must always be the core element. You have to be able to accept all possible types of garbage and then find the best possible solutions to process it. In addition, the exchange of knowledge about these projects and possibilities is incredibly important so that other regions can also benefit from them. At the beginning, we began by setting up an Ecoweg deposit system that gave locals the opportunity to collect garbage themselves, wash it up and stuff it into bottles with sticks – the Ecobricks. They then received 30 cents per piece. We still do it that way today. In retrospect, however, it would have made more sense to set up the garbage collection service first in order to have plannable resources available. But of course this also requires financial means – and so collecting the garbage for the Ecobricks independently is often the first step.

We at share also support your project to build more public buildings on Sumatra. What kind of buildings are they and why are they so important for the local population?

By purchasing share products, we support the construction of a sports hall. The main issue here is that local people do not have the opportunity to do proper sport. Especially when it rains. We believe that sport is an important issue for health, but also for society. Because here we can create a social space that strengthens bonds between each other, especially for children and young people. An auditorium is also being built that will focus on environmental issues, but also general tutoring and a further exchange of knowledge. For example, pupils and students from schools and universities in other regions will be invited and give lectures on the rainforest. In this way, we want to offer additional services and inspire young people for topics that go beyond normal school education and educate them. And then there is a library where interested people can independently acquire and deepen knowledge with the help of various media - from books to magazines to films.