BGBJ translates to "The Seeds of Bantar Gebang". Every day, 6000 tonnes of Jakarta's rubbish is dumped at Bantar Gebang landfill. BGBJ serves the families who make a small income from salvaging valuable materials from this waste, such as plastic, paper, metals, glass, and ewaste. BGBJ is a unique community asset functioning as both a hostel and a hub, a place that serves both visitors and the local community.
Our community faces a number of daily challenges at the landfill. These include poor quality housing, a lack of sanitation, work-related injuries and illness, and an unpleasant living environment. The low income nature of waste picking and a lack of skills and education reduces the opportunities available to working families. Many parents decide to keep their children from school as they work to supplement the family’s income.
We believe that children and young people are the seeds for a positive future at the landfill. BGBJ provides education, training, assistance, food and fun for kids who lack access to these resources. With education and skills training, we aim to provide alternatives for young people, giving them the tools and knowledge to break the poverty cycle and create a healthy and safe environment for themselves and their families.
We run a number of activities and projects at our Hostel/Hub. Every Sunday we run classes in a variety of topics, such as English, IT, health and nutrition, sports, music and art. Our upstairs workshop is used as an educational space to develop practical skills, and is the setting where out 'BGBJ Style' product line was created. BGBJ Style products consist of "lifestyle components", such as home decor and furnishings, fashion accessories and natural body care products. With BGBJ Style we hope to extend our reach throughout the community by creating a social enterprise, offering safe working conditions, real-world skills and a decent wage.
BGBJ was built with the help, support and dedication of our visitors. Our cosy hostel hosts guests from all walks of life, who are welcome to stay and experience the realities of life on the landfill. We offer day trips from Jakarta, short term and long term accommodation, with many ways to contribute your skills as a volunteer. Please visit our Contact Us page for more information.