Through separate recorded video messages, Wahu Co-founder Merlijn Lammersen and designer Mayra Kapteijn highlighted the importance of working with local communities to solve plastic waste challenges. Meanwhile, designers Noud Sleumer, Ade Amelia, and Dhania Yasmin emphasized the power of collaboration, echoing the exhibition’s tagline: "Impactful alone, transformative together."

Following the official opening, the designers led visitors on guided tours through the interactive exhibition space. The display invites guests to explore the everyday moments in which we use, value, and ultimately discard plastic materials. By encouraging visitors to shift their perspectives, the exhibition demonstrates how a collective change in mindset can transform behavior, reduce waste, and keep material value in motion. During the development of the project, the designers teamed up with WaHu and worked closely with the residents of RT. 011 RW. 06 Srengseng Sawah, Jagakarsa. The involvement of local community members emphasized a core message: that sustainable waste management is not only a technical challenge but a social one that requires local empowerment and shared responsibility.

The exhibition features various activities that invite visitors to reflect on their plastic consumption and how they separate waste at home. Through five different zones in the exhibition space, guests can gain knowledge from existing projects or participate in engaging activities, such as playing a card game, taking selfies, and "fishing" for plastic materials.

"Bukan Tentang Sampah" runs at Erasmus Huis until May 2, 2026. By reframing disposal as an act of "passing on" value rather than creating waste, the exhibition offers a hopeful roadmap for a cleaner city and a fairer supply chain. The program also shows how diverse cultural backgrounds and creative thinking can transform a global challenge into a sustainable transformation.

See the complete photo documentation on our Facebook album.