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Reducing plastic waste through effective EPR
Indonesia, which has more than 17,000 islands and 81,000 kilometers of coastline, currently produces 3.2 million tons of plastic waste annually, and 1.29 million tons of that ends up in the ocean. If no action is taken, an additional 800,000 tons of plastic waste will flow into the ocean annually in five years from now.
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ndonesia is the second-biggest contributor of marine plastic debris, after China. The world’s biggest archipelago, which has more than 17,000 islands and 81,000 kilometers of coastline, currently produces 3.2 million tons of plastic waste annually, and 1.29 million tons of that ends up in the ocean.
If no action is taken, an additional 800,000 tons of plastic waste will flow into the ocean annually in five years from now.
More than 80 percent of the waste in Indonesia is unsorted. As a result, most of the plastic waste either ends up in landfills or flows into the ocean.
“We do not have a proper waste management system. Many people here in Indonesia consider rivers, lakes and oceans garbage dumps. They throw all plastic bags and bottles and other waste into rivers and oceans. The government must take drastic action immediately,” Abdul Gani, who works in a private company in West Jakarta, told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
The government of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo took the matter seriously and issued two important decrees – Presidential Decree No. 97/2017 regarding the National Waste Management Policy and Strategy and Presidential Decree No. 83/2018 regarding the Plan of Action on Marine Plastic Debris 2018-2025 – and prepared a road map.
Through these two decrees, the government is aiming to cut marine plastic waste by 70 percent within next five years and reduce waste by 30 percent through the 3 Rs (reduce, reuse and recycle) by 2030.
“The vision goes even further: By 2040, we aim to achieve a plastic pollution-free Indonesia – one that embodies the principle of the circular economy, in which plastic will no longer end up in our oceans, waterways and landfills, but will go on to have a new life,” Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut B. Pandjaitan said recently at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
But how to achieve these ambitious targets?
One of effective measure to reduce plastic waste is the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), a mechanism or policy under which producers should take responsibility for the collection, transport, recycling and disposal of plastic to reduce waste. They have to produce more recyclable plastic.
How can we implement EPR to reduce plastic waste in Indonesia? What are the challenges to using EPR in plastic waste management?
Currently, according to Raldi Hendro Koestoer from the University of Indonesia, only 10 to 15 percent of plastic waste is recycled. A strong commitment from all stakeholders is needed to reduce plastic waste in Indonesia.
“We should adopt more sustainable practices in plastic waste management,” Raldi said at a recent international webinar on EPR for plastic waste management in Indonesia.
The webinar was organized by the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies Jakarta in cooperation with the European Union, the German Development Agency (GIZ) and Expertise France.
According to Ujang Solehin Sidik from Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Indonesia wants to boost recycling and bring about change in public behaviour with regard to plastic waste. The government has also prepared a perfect road map with specific targets until 2025.
But rules and road maps are not enough; the government must provide incentives and infrastructure, including new technology, for producers to enhance their capacity to boost recycling of plastic waste.
“One of the main objectives of EPR is to reduce the gap between recycling industry capacity and recycled plastic waste,” Muhammad Khayam from the Industry Ministry said.
Johannes Paul from GIZ said that any change in the system would face resistance. People’s current perception about plastic waste management was a great barrier to implementing EPR in Indonesia.
According to Paul, there should be a serious effort to change people’s behaviour about plastic waste, and a multistakeholder approach should be adopted.
Germany is ready to share its experience and assist Indonesia in implementing EPR fully and efficiently.
Echoing a similar view, Jan Moller Hansen from Denmark’s Ministry of Environment and Food said a change in public behavior was a must to reduce plastic waste in Indonesia.
“We need three things to manage waste. First, a reduction of waste is needed. Second, we need more recycling. And third, a change of mindset among the public is needed,” Hansen said.
The EPR mechanism is not just for plastic producers, but it is a collective responsibility of producers, the government and the public, says Agnes Bunemann, an expert on waste management from Cyclos GmbH Germany.
She further said that some practices should be mandatory, and producers must also take some voluntary measures to have maximum results under the EPR scheme.
It is not easy for producers to implement EPR fully, as it involves additional costs. The government must step in to help them in the form of incentives and loans.
Producers are not in a position to implement EPR fully, so they appoint Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs) to collect and dispose of plastic waste on their behalf.
The EPR and PROs are new to Indonesia, and they need everybody’s support.
It is not the sole responsibility of producers to implement EPR in Indonesia. It is the responsibility of all stakeholders. The government must provide both the legal framework and enough funds to implement EPR.
The government should raise awareness among the public to reduce the usage of plastic and think about plastic substitution. Producers must force themselves to use recyclable plastic. The government must help the plastic industry, especially packaging industry, to enhance its recycling capacity. The packaging sector is the biggest contributor to plastic waste. Incentives will play a big role in implementing EPR.
We should have a strong will and remove our “business as usual” approach. There should be both voluntary and mandatory measures to reduce plastic waste on the one hand and enhance the recycling capacity on the other. Remember our targets of reducing marine plastic waste by 70 percent by 2025 and becoming plastic-pollution-free by 2040. We should not fail in this noble effort to reduce plastic waste in Indonesia.
