Sustainability

From Waste to Awareness - The story of @bulesampah’s waste revolution in Indonesia

11/13/2025 | 3 min read

Peter Dobosz

Since April 2025, Greiner Packaging has been partnering with SampApp, Indonesia’s first waste education app, to promote environmental awareness and behavior change among young people. Developed by the NGO Veritas Edukasi Lingkungan (VEL), founded by journalist and content creator Benedict Wermter, the app combines gamified learning with real-world action to help communities reduce plastic waste. We spoke with Benedict about the story behind SampApp, its roots in his social media initiative @bulesampah, and how digital education can inspire lasting environmental change across Indonesia.

A Country Between Nature and Waste

"When you first come to Indonesia, the contrast is striking: pristine tropical waters and lush vegetation side by side with rivers clogged by plastic, beaches littered with packaging, and neighborhoods where waste is often burned in the open. Southeast Asia is one of the global hotspots of plastic pollution. What struck me most wasn’t just the waste itself, but the lack of awareness of society due to a lack of accessible information. When covering Indonesia’s plastic industry as a journalist, people were asking me simple, urgent questions:

'How do I keep my street clean?'
'Where can I bring my recyclables?'
'What are the alternatives to single-use plastics?'

That was my motivation to start @bulesampah - a waste education platform on Instagram, Tiktok and Youtube targeting an Indonesian audience. @bulesampah is a channel where Indonesians find answers to their pollution problems - in short videos and stories they can relate to. From day one the mission has been simple: give Indonesians access to information, knowledge and practical solutions to fight plastic pollution in their own neighborhoods."

Thirst for Knowledge and Change

"In the beginning stakeholders of the plastic industry had no trust in this initiative. 'Our people don't care', they said. But what I discovered quickly is people’s thirst for this kind of content. Every time I posted an explainer on preventing or sorting waste or shared a community success story, the response was overwhelming. Neighbors wrote: 'We separate our waste now. Where can I bring my plastic bottles?' Students messaged asking if we could teach them at their school. Sometimes I woke up and found a message on my Instagram inbox: 'Thank you for changing my life.'

It was proof that the thirst for knowledge and environmental change was there all along - all we had to do was make it transparent, relatable, and easy to share in simple informative video nudges."

From Social Media to Structured Learning: The Birth of SampApp

"As @bulesampah grew to reach millions of viewers each month, something became obvious: social media was a powerful starting point, but people wanted to go deeper. They were eager not only to be inspired but to learn more and take actionable steps in their daily lives. To meet that growing demand, I established an NGO to manage @bulesampah and expand our educational efforts. Through this organization, we developed SampApp, Indonesia’s first waste education application, designed to make environmental learning accessible and engaging. Often described as 'the Duolingo of Waste', SampApp builds on the curiosity sparked through social media and transforms it into structured, interactive learning through videos, quizzes, and challenges. Users can explore how to manage waste, understand recycling systems, and adopt sustainable habits in a gamified, motivating format.

Our videos on social media and in the app do not just tell people what is wrong with plastic pollution. They show who is doing it differently: waste pickers turning trash into income, schools banning single-use plastics, and local campaigns reshaping community norms. That is how change spreads: by making solutions visible, relatable, and easy to replicate. Together, @bulesampah and SampApp form a natural learning pathway. Social media raises awareness and sparks interest, while the app turns that awareness into long-term behavior change."

Building Partnerships for a Circular Future

"Education is the foundation of a circular economy, and collaboration makes it possible to scale impact. That is why our partnership with Greiner Packaging is so meaningful."

Benedict Wermter, Founder of @bulesampah

Greiner Packaging’s commitment to sustainability and consumer education aligns with SampApp’s mission: empowering individuals to make informed choices about waste. Together, we are working to reach more communities, more schools, and more future changemakers across Indonesia. By integrating educational content, local examples, and real-life success stories, we are helping create a generation that understands both the problem of plastic pollution and the solutions within reach.

From an Idea to a Movement

What started as a simple social media channel has evolved into a growing ecosystem of environmental education and empowerment. Today, @bulesampah continues to inspire millions on social media, and through SampApp, that inspiration is being transformed into lasting impact on the ground. Together, they are helping Indonesians reclaim their environment, one lesson, one challenge, and one informed choice at a time.