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The bottom of Indonesia's waste management iceberg
The enforcement of waste management regulations here is frequently hindered by populism politics in the government.
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Members of environmental group Bank Sampah Sungai Cisadane (Banksasuci) collect medical waste at the Cisadane River in Tangerang, Banten province, Indonesia, on Aug. 2, 2020. (Reuters/Willy Kurniawan)
O
vercapacity landfills, marine debris, animal deaths, flood, climate change and respiratory disease – these are all the results of a careless waste management system in Indonesia. We could say those are just the tip of the iceberg. The real problem lies beneath the surface.
During our 15 years of experience running non-profit organizations and advocating responsible waste management in Indonesia, I saw several recurring patterns in dealing with waste management problems. Although the issue might be different: river pollution due to landfill landslide, poor life quality of waste scavengers and the pros and cons of waste incineration facilities, the causes are often similar.
We call it the bottom of Indonesia's waste management iceberg problem, and it is composed of four crucial parts: Waste management behavior; waste management governance; bureaucracy and political governance; and Indonesian people’s moral values.
It is only logical that the way we manage our waste has a significant effect on the waste management crisis that we have today. The thing that we often fail to see is that the waste management behavior itself is the result of another bigger problem.
Ineffective waste management governance is causing ineffective waste handling systems, both at the regional level and household level.
And if we give ourselves a chance to trace further, it all goes back to the conflict between the moral values that we wish to hold as Indonesians and what we practice in the field.
We aim to solve our waste management problems by prohibiting illegal waste disposal, fighting against the practice of burning trash without the proper technology, and urging everyone to reduce the use of disposable shopping bags. We may have great waste management regulations in hand, but without great waste management governance, we can only do so much.
