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Trash Hero Indonesia Country Coordinator – full-time, remote

by Seema on 09/05/2022 3 comments

Trash Hero Indonesia is hiring a new Country Coordinator for their programme management team. The majority of work is carried out remotely, from anywhere within Indonesia, though occasional travel to Bali or other locations will be required.

The positions are open to Indonesian citizens, residing in Indonesia only.

This is a full time position (40+ hours a week), available immediately. Applications will remain open until the position is filled.

Salary range

– IDR 14-16 million, depending on experience

About Trash Hero

Yayasan Trash Hero Indonesia (THI) leads, supports and governs the Trash Hero volunteer movement within Indonesia, working for a clean world, free from plastic pollution. It is part of the Trash Hero World (THW) network, which has been active since December 2013.

In Indonesia, there are around 60 Trash Hero chapters (local groups) in communities all over the country. Activities focus on a weekly cleanup involving the local community, but volunteers are also involved in other projects, such as running a water bottle refill network, kids’ education, socialisation and zero waste advocacy.

Our country coordination team consists of two members of staff. Together they manage our volunteers and activities. They also work closely with the global programmes team, which includes 8 people, both volunteers and full-time staff, one of whom is also based in Indonesia.

Work Culture

We have an open, friendly and supportive work culture, with staff and volunteers working together at all levels of the organisation. We live the values of our Trash Hero Family and we are all personally committed to a zero waste future.

All work is done remotely from home (we do not have any offices). Team members connect over chat and meet regularly online during the week, often with international colleagues from Southeast Asia and the global programmes team.

Working hours are flexible and overtime and occasional weekend / out of hours work are considered part of the job. All working hours need to be documented.

Role description

As our chapter network grows, the Trash Hero Indonesia programmes team is searching for a new Country Coordinator who, together with our Programmes Administrator, will support and help deliver our programmes.

The position has a demanding workload that will suit a competent multi-tasker, with a broad range of skills. Being part of the coordination team requires a high level of organisation, excellent communication and proven experience in volunteer management. You will also have a passion for, commitment to and knowledge of zero waste and the Trash Hero mission.

You will work both independently, and as part of two different teams – the country coordination and the global programmes team – to ensure that our operations in Indonesia run smoothly, that our work is consistently of a high standard and that it creates the maximum impact possible. You will report directly to the Trash Hero World Programmes Coordinator and the Board of the Yayasan.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

PROGRAMME & VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT

Mentor new chapters and provide day-to-day support to existing chapters
Monitor activity and results of existing chapters and identify potential issues with compliance; or good work that deserves praise or mention to THW
Manage and support the expansion of the bottles & bags and kids & education programmes
Prepare and lead workshops, webinars and other volunteer training activities
Create training materials, presentation slides and other programme materials as needed
Provide input for programme improvement to THW
Stay informed about issues related to plastic pollution, zero waste, national policies, and potential solutions.
Work closely with the Programmes Administrator to ensure the smooth operation, monitoring & reporting of all activities.

COMMUNICATION

Act as first point of contact for the public, volunteers and other stakeholders
Filter emails, calls and social media messages and reply or forward to relevant people
Be in regular contact with chapter leaders via group chats and private channels
Write and send any general THI correspondence (e.g. invitation letters, thank you letters)
Manage THI’s social media channels, including developing and posting daily content
Analyse and report on social media engagement
Coach chapters to use the correct brand voice and narrative and monitor their (social) media posts
Send out and collect chapter and programme surveys as required
Provide assistance to volunteers and customers ordering THI merchandise or marketing materials

GENERAL ADMIN

Supervise the organisation of twice-yearly volunteer Family Meetings (invitations, hotel, travel, meals, other logistics) and other meetings as necessary
Translate (or arrange translation of) key documents into Indonesian / English as required

FINANCIAL ADMIN

Support the annual bookkeeping for Yayasan
Lead the accounting at Family Meetings
Give input for the Yayasan annual budget

PROGRAMMES ADMIN

Maintain up to date local language versions of all written and graphical programme materials (e.g. chapter handbook)
Administer the Meta Business Manager for all chapter social media accounts

GRAPHIC DESIGN (OPTIONAL)

Design work for chapters, social media and special events as necessary

VIDEOGRAPHY (OPTIONAL)

Create videos about Trash Hero activities for PR, education and fundraising (guidelines will be provided by THW)

Experience & Skills

Required

Indonesian native speaker, with good English (B2 level)
Excellent communication skills (written, spoken and non-verbal)
Comfortable with public speaking and moderation
10-12+ years of work experience, in a community-based, people management or communications role
Good IT skills (Excel, Word, Powerpoint and Google equivalents, including Forms)
Basic design skills (Canva)
Ability to work with people of different ages, backgrounds and cultures
Good time management and ability to prioritise tasks
Accurate, thorough and efficient way of working
Ability to work independently and take initiative when needed

Desirable

Experience of volunteering with Trash Hero or other NGO in a similar field
Networking skills
Translation skills (English to Bahasa Indonesia)
Knowledge of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign
Video editing skills

Appointment process

STEP ONE: Applications should be made by email to info @ trashhero.org and include:

your CV with 2 references
a cover letter OR personal video introduction (< 2 minutes) addressing why you want to work for Trash Hero

Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

STEP TWO: Successful candidates will be contacted for an initial online interview.

STEP THREE: The second round will involve a period of (part-time) volunteering. Trash Hero is an organisation that depends entirely on volunteers, so this is a great opportunity to understand that dynamic, as well as allowing both sides to get to know each other before making a commitment. If all goes well, a formal job offer will follow.

Are we all plastic people now?

by Seema on 14/04/2022 No comments

Until recently, coverage of the impact of plastic pollution has tended to focus on marine debris and harm done to wildlife. Recent developments, however, indicate that the species most widely affected by plastic could well be us: humans.

A series of reports published over the last month highlight how far plastic has travelled – not only into the Antarctic, or the Mariana Trench, but deep inside our own bodies.

On 24 March, it was announced that 4 out of 5 people may already have tiny pieces of plastic circulating in their blood. 77% of the samples tested in a study funded by the NGO Common Seas came back positive for plastic – mainly PET, polystyrene and polyethylene – common plastics found in clothing and food packaging.

Common Seas admits the finding raises more questions than answers. Does the plastic accumulate in our bodies over time? Can it travel into our organs? Will it trigger diseases such as cancer? It has called on the UK government to invest £15 million (USD 19.7 million) in further research to uncover the links between plastic and our health. This research is urgently needed as many scientists believe that plastic may be the next public health crisis, much like asbestos and smoking in the past. Findings in lab conditions have already shown that microplastics cause damage to human cells.

In early April, another British study found that 11 out of 13 people sampled had microplastics lodged deep inside their lungs. The study was the first of its kind conducted on tissue from living people, who were undergoing surgery. Here, the most common particles found were polypropylene (23%) and PET (18%), again both common types of plastic to which we are exposed on a daily basis. Two previous studies had found microplastics at similarly high rates in lung tissue taken during autopsies.

Although it has been known for some time that microplastics can be inhaled, this is the first time that they have been found in the lower regions of the lungs. According to one of the report’s authors, Laura Sadofsky, they should normally have been trapped or filtered out of the airways before getting that far.

The final report, released by Plastic Soup Foundation (PSF) on World Health Day, 7 April, gives us an indication of another way plastic may be entering our bodies. We are literally rubbing it into our skin, hair and teeth! PSF’s analysis of 7,704 cosmetic products from popular brands in the EU revealed that 9 out of 10 contained some form of microplastics.

Microplastics are commonly defined as solid particles, under 0.5mm in length. They usually come from textiles (fibres shed from synthetic clothing, carpets etc.), larger pieces of plastic that have degraded, or – in the case of cosmetics – “microbeads”. Microbeads are tiny pieces of plastic (usually polyethylene and polymethyl methacrylate) added to products to aid exfoliation.

What PSF discovered was that there are also plenty of invisible microplastics in our products. Liquid and semi-liquid polymer-based ingredients are routinely and deliberately added to help foam, smooth and bulk out various toiletries and treatments. As these are blended in, they can’t be seen: they are only discovered by reading the small print on the ingredient list. In some cases, up to 90% of a cosmetic product may be comprised of microplastic ingredients.

In the report, Plastic: The Hidden Beauty Ingredient, PSF calls for the EU to expand its current definition of microplastics, which will be used to regulate the cosmetics industry, to include liquid and semi-liquid plastics as well as solid plastic particles. This will, they say, close glaring loopholes and make our personal products safer for both the environment and our health.

The cosmetic industry in Europe alone uses 8,700 tonnes of microplastics every year, with an estimated 3,800 tonnes going down the drain and into the waterways. At least some of the rest will be in our bodies – and the health impacts remain unclear. Right now, reducing the amount of plastic we produce and use, in both products and packaging, is the safest option to protect ourselves and future generations from harm.

If you’d like to take further action, both Common Seas and Plastic Soup Foundation have petitions to which you can add your voice. Click on their names to sign.

Trash Hero World receives UN Environment accreditation

by Seema on 24/03/2022 No comments

Trash Hero World is honoured to have been granted formal consultative status at the United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA). This “observer status” is awarded through an accreditation from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which we received on 16 March 2022.

UNEP has been working for 50 years to protect the environment, fight climate change and support sustainable development. It sets the environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment. UNEA is its governing body, comprising of 193 member states, representatives from civil society, businesses, and other major groups and stakeholders. It is the world’s highest-level decision-making body on the environment.

The full list of UNEP-accredited organisations, including Trash Hero World, can be found on the UNEP website.

As an official observer, we are now among 500+ NGOs globally who can give input to policy discussions and participate in the UNEA sessions and those of its subsidiary bodies. With the announcement of a legally binding global plastics treaty at the recent UNEA-5.2 in Nairobi, it is a very exciting time to join and to be able to give voice to the needs and views of our grassroots volunteer network, many of whom are working on the frontline of the plastics crisis in Southeast Asia.

It’s snowing plastic in the Alps

by Martyna Morawska on 16/02/2022 No comments

In a new study, Empa researcher Dominik Brunner, together with colleagues from the Utrecht University and the Austrian Central Institute for Meteorology and Geophysics, investigated the amount of plastic present in precipitation over the period of a month.

According to the study, nanoplastics can spread aerially over a 2,000-kilometre radius resulting in around 43 trillion tiny plastic particles ending up in Switzerland every year. This could equate to 3,000 tons of nanoplastics annually, ranging from the remote Alps to the urban lowlands. “These estimates are very high relative to other studies, and more research is needed to validate them”, according to Empa. Nonetheless, the results of Brunner’s work are the most accurate assessment of nanoplastic air pollution ever made.

To count the plastic particles, Brunner and his colleagues developed a method that determines the level of contamination in collected samples. The scientists examined a small area at an altitude of 3,106 metres at the top of the Hoher Sonnenblick mountain in the Austrian Hohe Tauern National Park. Every day and in all weather conditions, they removed part of the top layer of snow at 8am and carefully stored it to check for plastic residue.

The origin of the tiny particles was traced using European wind and weather data. It was established that the largest emission of nanoplastics into the air happens in densely populated, urban areas. About 30 percent of the measured nanoplastic particles on the mountaintop came from a radius of 200 kilometres, mostly from cities, while around ten percent of the particles were blown in from more than 2,000 kilometres away, partly from the Atlantic.

It is estimated that more than 8.3 billion tons of plastic have been produced worldwide, around 60 percent of which has ended up either in a landfill or the natural environment. This plastic is eroded by weather effects and abrasion into micro (less than five millimetres in diameter) and nanoparticles (less than 100 nm in diameter). Due to their size, their movement in air can be best compared to gas. This means they are easily inhaled into our lungs, as well as ingested through contaminated food and water sources. Once in the body, their size allows them to potentially cross the cell-blood barrier and thus enter the bloodstream. The health implications of this are only beginning to be studied.

Every kilo counts! How we measured our impact in 2021

by Martyna Morawska on 06/02/2022 No comments

Did you know that in 2021 alone Trash Hero organised 2,801 cleanups? That is almost 8 cleanups on every single day of the year! We have also welcomed 49,426 volunteers on board, including 11,531 under the age of 16. We collected a whopping 284,606 kg of trash, an average of 102 kg per cleanup. With our Bottles & Bags programme, we were able to distribute 1,401 bottles and 2,185 bags, equating to saving 797,525 single-use plastic bottles* and 511,365 plastic bags*. And 2,000 new Trash Hero kids books were printed, in 2 new languages – Malay and Arabic.

Where do those numbers come from? After every cleanup event, Trash Hero chapters weigh the trash they collected and post their results with photos on social media. The data is also uploaded to a central collection point. To be fully transparent, we make this data publicly available. Anyone can access it live on our website, by clicking on the chapter name: https://trashhero.org/our-network/.

This policy of data collection means that we can also calculate our impact since the very beginning of Trash Hero. Here is what we have achieved together thus far from December 2013 to December 2021:

We have mobilised 411,837 volunteers including 103,510 kids.
Together, they completed 14,910 cleanups and 266 brand audits.
2,154,134 kg of trash have been collected, including (in the last 6 months) 9,479 single-use masks.
In total, Trash Hero has distributed 102,470 reusable bottles, thus avoiding 37.4 million single-use plastic bottles* and 1,947 tons of CO2 emissions in the process.
Meanwhile, our distribution of 27,945 reusable bags has saved 10.2 million plastic equivalents*.
Our network is now active in 171 locations in 20 countries worldwide.

Of course, numbers are only one side of the story. Let’s not forget the positive energy, momentum and hope that our actions create – these things are immeasurable. We hope we have captured some of this Trash Hero spirit in our impact video above. Click play to see the magic – and thank you to all who have contributed to these achievements over the years!

*based on an estimated average usage of 1 refill per day for a year (365 days)

Trash Hero joins the Plastic Health Coalition

by Martyna Morawska on 19/01/2022 No comments

Trash Hero World is proud to have been invited to become a new member of the Plastic Health Coalition. Together, we will work on preventing and resolving the harmful impacts of plastic pollution on the environment, as well as filling the knowledge gaps regarding the relationship between plastics and human health.

The Plastic Health Coalition was launched by the Plastic Soup Foundation, a non-profit organisation aiming to educate the public about “plastic soup” – the litter floating in the oceans and affecting marine life, the environment and our health. The coalition involves various national and international environmental and research organisations, whose scope of work focuses on the negative effects of plastics and microplastics on our health. As part of the initiative, a yearly Plastic Health Summit is organised with the focus being on exposing the devastating health impacts of plastics, and highlighting the benefits of a healthy environment.

By joining the Plastic Health Coalition, Trash Hero hopes to facilitate and support the process of spreading essential knowledge regarding plastic pollution and human health. Our expertise, experience and resources will enable us to bring this knowledge to international audiences in multiple languages. We are committed to supporting the Plastic Health Coalition in the fight for a healthier planet and, by extension, healthier people.

Trash Hero brings The Story of Plastic to new audiences

by Martyna Morawska on 13/12/2021 2 comments

Billed as the film “Big Oil doesn’t want you to see”, the Emmy-Award winning documentary The Story of Plastic presents a cohesive timeline of how we got to the current stage in the global plastic crisis, showing how the petrochemical and FMCG industries manipulated the narrative around the pollution they were creating, successfully pinning the blame on the consumer and public infrastructure.

After its success, its producers, The Story of Stuff Project, released a short animated version of the documentary that summarises its main arguments and the need for systemic change in under five minutes.

Seeing the potential of this short to address misconceptions about the solutions to the plastic crisis, Trash Hero collaborated with The Story of Stuff Project to produce local language versions, with dubbed narration.

We have already released versions in Thai, Indonesian and Malaysian; several other languages will follow in 2022. This will allow the important messages of the film to be seen by new audiences in Southeast Asia and beyond. To date, the videos have reached more than 1 million people on social media! If you are connected to any of these language speakers, please do share the clip with them.

The original video files are also freely available to use offline for NGOS, schools and organisations; please contact us to get a download link.

We would like to thank the global Trash Hero Family and everyone who has been involved in the translation project. Special thanks to the volunteers and studio facilities who provided their time for free:

Malaysia: Muhammad Asyraf bin Rosmidi and Anne Vendargon (translation), Rosnani Nazri (narration)

Thailand: 130TUN (video editing)

Arabic: (clip coming soon) Arts Group Studio, Laila Al-Najjar (narration), Yousef Al-Shatti and Bader Al-Shatti (translation)

Vietnam: (clip coming soon) Hiệp Nguyễn (translation and narration), 130TUN (video editing)

To view the original English version of “The Story of Plastic animated short” with subtitles in many languages, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO3SA4YyEYU

Gala concert held for Trash Hero World

by Martyna Morawska on 22/11/2021 No comments

In the evening of November 12th, Trash Hero took part in a very special event – a gala with an acoustic concert organised in Hotel Alexander (Weggis, Switzerland).

A piano and guitar set was performed by a Swiss singer and song-writer Eliane, winner of the second season of Switzerland’s Got Talent. Eliane is an ambassador for Schnarwiler’s cosmetics lines “Trash Hero Love” and “Re-use-me” and is an avid supporter of Trash Hero’s activities.

Throughout the evening, we received over $3500 in donations, including the entire amount earned by the guitarist for the night who kindly donated his salary, which we are extremely grateful for!

The gala was organised by Schnarwiler, a Swiss based manufacturer and distributor of beauty and health products, who have launched a zero-waste line of toiletry products in collaboration with Trash Hero. During the event, Roman Peter had the opportunity to deliver a presentation to an audience of around 100 people, explaining the mission and vision of Trash Hero, as well as inviting attendees to join the movement.

We would like to especially thank Eliane for her role in this fundraising event, and for her continued commitment to raising awareness about our mission.

Flexing our thinking muscles in Brussels!

by Seema on 13/10/2021 No comments

Teaching and advocating for zero waste is rarely a simple case of passing on knowledge, like with a mathematical formula. For the knowledge to be accepted, it usually requires an accompanying shift in people’s values and behaviour. Changing someone’s whole world view is never going to be easy. However, after a week spent in Belgium this September, the task seems a little more achievable!

As Programme Director for the global Trash Hero network, I was privileged to take part in the Erasmus+ pilot project, “Building a European Zero Waste Academy” (BEZWA), organised by Let’s Do It Foundation, Zero Waste Europe and Ekologi brez meja, with the support of Tallinn University and the Estonian University of Life Sciences. The BEZWA project’s twin goals are to create:

1) a strong curriculum to teach zero waste ambassadors, who can then advocate for zero waste cities and communities; and
2) a network of skilled trainers who can train these ambassadors – and others – effectively.

The ambassadors’ curriculum was tested live at a training in Slovenia in early September for those just starting on their zero waste journey; I joined the second stage “training of trainers”, alongside NGO colleagues from France, Germany, Slovenia, Ukraine, Cyprus and Estonia, held at the end of the same month in Brussels.

There was a range of experience present, but most of us had developed our training skills on the job, without formal qualifications and simply following common practice. The intensive 5-day course put us all through our paces and turned our preconceived notions of teaching upside down.

There was no sitting through dull Powerpoints with “tips and tricks”. Instead we discovered the inner workings of the brain. We explored new training methods based on educational psychology – that were simultaneously being used on us! These methods empower students to take ownership of their learning, rather than being passive recipients of facts.

Our own knowledge of zero waste was challenged on many levels and we engaged in a variety of activities from improv sessions to designing and teaching mini-workshops. There was also space for quiet reflection. All of this stretched and exercised our thinking muscles in unexpected ways.

In between, we found time to visit a community compost project, support the city’s zero waste restaurants and even take part in a Break Free From Plastic protest against EU waste exports outside the European Commission and Council.

It was an endlessly thought-provoking and stimulating few days, completed by the warm, supportive energy of being with like-minded people and sharing our different experiences.

The benefits to Trash Hero will be felt immediately. So much of our work is about education and these new perspectives will help to build capacity within our network and to shape and refine our programmes. The knowledge will be shared with our country coordinators as we move forward with planning our Zero Waste Communities training. And it can even be incorporated into our family meetings for volunteers once they start up again next year.

We are grateful to have had the opportunity to attend the training and to all the teaching and coordination team who made it happen. The BEZWA project will continue with follow-up sessions for all participants and assessment of outcomes until September 2022.

Trash Hero Chapter Handbook now available in Vietnamese

by Martyna Morawska on 10/10/2021 No comments

Trash Hero World is happy to announce that our Chapter Handbook has recently been translated into the Vietnamese language! In addition to Vietnamese, our handbook is also available in English, Thai, Indonesian and Burmese. This comprehensive document provides our future chapter leaders with recommendations on how to form a team, find sponsors and carry out the activities in accordance with our values.

Having our handbook translated to multiple languages supports our new and existing volunteers by providing guidance on our programmes. This in turn, allows more people to have the chance to take on prominent roles within Trash Hero World, and supports our network in building a sustainable, plastic-free future.

We are proud to witness the expansion of our organisation and the increasing engagement of our volunteers in Vietnam. None of this would have been possible without the help of our amazing volunteers with Trash Hero Song Cau, Trash Hero Hoi An and Trash Hero Ho Chi Minh, who completed the translation work.

You can find the Vietnamese version of the handbook here.