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Amid challenges, Indonesia reaps benefits from circular economy, official says
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Members of environmental group Bank Sampah Sungai Cisadane (Banksasuci) collect medical waste from the Cisadane river in Tangerang, Banten province, Aug. 2, 2020. (Reuters/Willy Kurniawan)
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ndonesia is starting to reap more economic benefits as it implements circular economy principles, although the country still has a lot of room to improve its waste collection and management, a ministry official has said.
A circular economy is generally understood as a production and consumption model that aims to extend the life cycle of any product through reusing and recycling, with the primary objective to reduce waste to a minimum.
Data compiled by the Environment and Forestry Ministry revealed that in 2019-2020, more than 420,000 tons of plastic waste were collected from waste banks, temporary disposal sites (TPS) and plastic waste collected by scavengers, among other means. Recycling this plastic waste had generated more than Rp 1 trillion (US$70.53 million) of revenue, according to the data.
Over the same period, around Rp 7.4 trillion of revenue was also generated from recycling more than 3 million tons of paper waste.
Environment and Forestry Ministry’s waste management director general Rosa Vivien Ratnawati said a circular economy model had been incorporated into the directorate’s strategic plans, with the aim to expand the implementation of a circular economy across the country.
“When we talk about a circular economy, the life cycle of products is no longer cradle to grave but cradle to cradle,” said Rosa in a discussion on Wednesday.
Rosa added that mainstreaming circular economy principles, including by improving waste collection efforts, was essential to support the growth of the domestic recycling industry.
