imprint EDITORIAL PUBLISHER Alexander Büchler, Managing Director HEAD OFFICE heidelberg business media GmbH Hubweg 15 74939 Zuzenhausen, Germany phone: +49 6221-65108-0 [email protected] EDITORIAL Kay Barton Heike Fischer Gabriele Kosmehl Michael Maruschke Ruari McCallion Anthony Withers Editorial & WikiPETia. info [email protected] MEDIA CONSULTANTS Martina Hirschmann [email protected] Johann Lange-Brock [email protected] phone: +49 6221-65108-0 LAYOUT AND PREPRESS EXPRIM Werbeagentur Matthias Gaumann www.exprim.de READER SERVICES [email protected] PRINT Chroma Druck Eine Unternehmung der Limberg-Druck GmbH Danziger Platz 6 67059 Ludwigshafen, Germany WWW www.hbmedia.net | www.petpla.net PETplanet Insider ISSN 1438-9459 is published 10 times a year. This publication is sent to qualified subscribers (1-year subscription 149 EUR, 2-year subscription 289 EUR, Young professionals’ subscription 99 EUR. Magazines will be dispatched to you by airmail). Not to be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher. Note: The fact that product names may not be identified as trademarks is not an indication that such names are not registered trademarks. 3 PETplanet Insider Vol. 25 No. 07+08/24 www.petpla.net Collecting PET bottles can sometimes be a highly emotive issue. Dr Yusuf Nughraha, founder and owner of the Harapan Sehat Clinic in the small town of Cianjur, Indonesia, wishes to rid the world of plastic waste. For the 44-year old, health and the protection of the natural environment are inextricably linked and he wants to connect with poorer people in particular. Environmental protection programmes are often highly complex, which a lot of people find difficult to understand. “That is why I came up with the idea of using plastic bottles as a means of payment.” Poorer people feel confident to come to him and he is keen to help. He offers the poorest of the poor a free examination for every ten PET bottles collected. His aim is to create an understanding among the population of environmental protection, recycling and waste separation issues. Since the closure of their only landfill site, waste ends up in rivers or is burnt in front gardens, with no rubbish collection service. In the early years, he had to put his own money into the scheme to enable the clinic to continue with its work. Today, patients are able to offset payment for the cost of approximately 30-40 daily examinations by producing vouchers, which recycling dealers provide for every ten bottles collected, for their treatment. The people’s gratitude is overwhelming – watching the video brought tears to my eyes. But it is not only in the clinic that he campaigns for the need to protect the environment. He visits a school every month and talks to the pupils, explaining to the younger ones that bags and packaging simply do not belong in the environment, while he speaks to the older children about clean drinking water. This cannot be taken for granted in Indonesia which is why so many people here buy plastic bottles. Water has to be boiled or drawn from drinking water fountains. The doctor also explains to the pupils where they can start to reduce waste. With his tireless dedication to health and environmental protection, Dr Yusuf Nughraha has clearly shown how innovative ideas and personal commitment can improve the lives of so many people. His initiative, in which PET bottles are used as a means of payment for medical treatment, is not only a step towards a cleaner environment but also a significant contribution to supporting the poorest in society. Through his work, he not only inspires the inhabitants of his small town but also sets an important example for the global community: every single contribution to prevent waste and to recycle counts. Yours, Alexander Büchler Dear readers, PET bottles at the doctor’s
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