Ikatan Pemulung Indonesia (Indonesia Waste-pickers Union- IPI)

Jakarta Timur, DKI Jakarta, Indonesia

Primary information

Year formed

1991

Registered in

1991

Language

Indonesia-Bahasa

Number of groups

25

Number of members

3,700,000

Type of members

Members are waste pickers, Members employ waste pickers, Waste picker support organization

Occupation of members

Itinerant buyers, Scrap dealers, Solid waste managers, Waste collectors, Waste pickers

Type of Organization

Association, Community based organization, Membership based organization, Movement

Organizational Reach

Local, National

Workplace of members

Collection from companies, Dumpsite, Home-based, Landfill, Recycling center, Sanitary landfill, Slums, Sorting center, Street

Organization Structure

Chairman – Secretary General – Deputy Secretary-General – Treasurer – Head of Divisions - Members

Objectives

Organize waste pickers for the dignity of livelihood, security of land rights and for a cleaner environment.

Education and training

Hygiene education, Rights & duties, Risks & health

Partnering organizations

Indonesia Plastic Recycle

Funding

Donor, Membership fees, Partners

Internal elections

Every 3 years

Women composition

Social networking sites

Benefits

Member benefits

Child assistance programmes, Education programmes, Health care & insurance, Id cards, Job creation & source of income, Legal assistance, Wedding & funeral benefit

Safety & Technology

First aid kits, Masks, Risk training,, Safety boots

Services

What kind of relationship exists with the municipality?

Providers of infrastructure

How is the relationship with the municipality?

Excellent and/or friendly

Types of materials

Bones, Bottles, Cans, Clothing, Electronic waste, Glass, Household items, Metals, Paper and cardboard, Plastic, Plastics, Shoe soles, Tetra brik

Are they selling to middlemen?

Yes

Activities

Buying materials, Cleaning, Collecting materials, Collecting waste, Collection of recyclables, Organizing collective events, Recycling, Selling materials, Sorting waste, Waste collection, Waste management, Waste sorting

Sorting Spaces

Sorting center / sorting workshops

Challenges to access waste

Contamination from waste, Foul smell & contamination from waste, Harassment from authorities, Lack of education & training, Lack of infrastructure & resources, Lack of recognition, Lack of tools, Negative attitude towards waste, Obtaining licenses, Price fluctuations of waste, Privatization, Transportation

Complementary Information

Information source

The information was shared by Pris Polly, later the Alliance of Indian Wastepickers delegation visited IPI in Jakarta and learned about their work.

Comments / Narrative

IPI was established on 31st May 1991. The goal of the organization is to better the life of waste-pickers and other workers working in waste management. The members of IPI include waste-pickers, sorters, scrap dealers and aggregators. The organization has set up learning centres for the children of waste-pickers in informal neighbourhoods. They are spread across 26 provinces of Indonesia, with headquarters in Jakarta. The organization is registered as a community organization with 3.7 million members spread across the country. The organization has helped facilitate land rights, health insurance for its members. Apart from waste-pickers and other workers in the informal waste economy, IPI invites celebrities, socially active citizens to be a part of their association. They take their help to highlight the issue faced by the workers in the informal waste economy.