Indonesian cafe worker Rudi Hartono struggled to persuade residents of his small coastal community of Pare-pare to follow his example and pick up rubbish strewn on the streets and beaches – until he dressed up as Spider-Man.

"At first, I did the same activity - picking up trash and junk - without wearing this costume and it did not attract the public's attention in order for them to join and help," said the 36-year-old Hartono, wearing his red and blue Spider-Man costume. "After wearing this costume, it turns out the public's response was extraordinary," he added. Hartono usually collects waste as Spider-Man before his cafe work begins at 7 p.m. and his efforts have helped put a spotlight on the waste issue nationally. He has been interviewed by newspapers and appeared on television chat shows dressed in his superhero costume to explain his motivation. Initially, he admits, he bought the Spider-Man outfit simply to amuse his nephew, before others in his town took notice.

"We need a creative role model to foster society's active engagement in protecting the environment," said Saiful Bahri, a resident of Pare-pare. With a population of around 142,000, Pare-pare produces around 2.7 tonnes of unmanaged waste per day.
Hartono said he hoped the government would throw more weight behind efforts to clean up trash and tighten rules on waste management including on single-use plastic bags. "Minimizing plastic waste is the most important thing to do, because plastic is difficult to decompose," he said.
(Adapted from readtoolead.com)