A worker at a dump site in Banda Aceh on Tuesday collecting plastic bottles to sell.

Plastic waste, which pollutes the water, soil and air, is often seen as one of the biggest enemies of the environment.

Based on data from Indonesia's Environment and Forestry Ministry, of 68.5 million tonnes of waste last year, as much as 17 per cent - or 11.6 million tonnes - was plastic waste.

Of that number, according to the Indonesia Plastic Bag Diet Movement in 2019, only a maximum of 9 per cent can still be recycled.

Plastics are virtually indestructible and, while some items are biodegradable, it could take centuries for them to break down.

Indonesia is among the top contributors to plastic pollution in a world where more than eight million tonnes of plastic are dumped into oceans every year.

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