18 June 2025
Harita Nickel has introduced a sustainable innovation for domestic wastewater treatment by converting used plastic bottles into an efficient biofilter medium. Through a project named Nirwana Brush, the company's Environment & Business Improvement Department has developed an environmentally friendly and cost-effective solution for wastewater treatment plants (IPAL), particularly at the Nirwana employee accommodation facility operated by PT Trimegah Bangun Persada Tbk.
The Nirwana IPAL facility utilizes both aerobic and anaerobic wastewater treatment systems. Both methods rely heavily on biofilter media as a habitat for decomposer microorganisms that play a crucial role in purifying wastewater.
“Usually, we buy biofilter media from suppliers, and it’s quite expensive. Meanwhile, used plastic bottles are available and largely unused,” said M. Saifullah N, a Project Engineer at Harita Nickel.
In this innovation, used plastic bottles collected from the office surroundings are processed through cleaning, cutting, and structured using iron wire to support microbial growth. Laboratory testing confirmed the system's effectiveness, reducing Total Suspended Solids (TSS) from 49 mg/L down to 3 mg/L—an efficiency rate of approximately 93.87%.
“With this approach, we’re not only saving costs but also contributing to the reduction of plastic waste, which is notoriously difficult to decompose,” added Ipul, as the Obi-born engineer is known.
“We asked our coworkers to donate used bottles, and many responded positively. It shows that environmental awareness can grow through simple, real actions,” said Dedi Amrin, Manager of Environment & Business Improvement at Harita Nickel.
With proven results, the project marks a promising first step toward more efficient and environmentally friendly wastewater treatment systems. “Our hope is that this recycling concept can become a new standard for wastewater management across Harita Nickel business units that operate similar treatment systems,” Dedi concluded.
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