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Government mulls implementing ‘plastic credit’ to reduce waste
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Two men fish at a pond filled with plastic waste at a village in Lhokseumawe, Aceh, on Sept. 29, 2021. (AFP/Azwar Ipank)
T
he government has said that it is mulling whether to implement a plastic credit scheme in a move to address mounting concerns about plastic waste in the country, although an expert has expressed concerns that such a scheme could allow producers to shift their responsibilities to others.
A plastic credit scheme works in a similar way to the carbon credit scheme that was first introduced in the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. Under the plastic credit scheme, a certain quantity of collected and recycled plastic is converted to a unit of “credit” that can be sold to plastic creditors seeking to reduce their plastic footprints.
The funds raised from the credit transaction are then used to finance initiatives to collect and recycle plastic waste following audits by a third party to confirm how much plastic waste has been collected or recycled and how much credit is sold to the buyers.
Environment and Forestry Ministry Director General for Waste Management Rosa Vivien Ratnawati said the government would study whether a plastic credit scheme could be implemented in the country, given that it was still a relatively new concept.
“If a plastic credit scheme is applicable, then we need to know what are the standards and minimal requirements for it, and what kind of regulations would be needed,” said Rosa in a webinar on Thursday.
She pointed out that the government has been requiring producers to limit the use of plastic in their product packaging and resort to more environmentally friendly alternatives as mandated by Environment and Forestry Ministry Regulation No. 75/2019. The regulation aims to reduce waste generation, including plastic waste, by 30 percent by 2030.
Read also: Amid challenges, Indonesia reaps benefits from circular economy
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