- Indonesia using recycling method to reduce plastic waste in Indonesia
- The plan will involving all Indonesian people, government, NGOs, and other stakeholders
Firstly, Indonesia is the 2nd largest producer of marine plastic waste in the world after China. Seawater pollution causes various problems such as marine pollution, death of animals and plants in the sea, to the entry of microplastics into animals and plants. Microplastics are formed from plastic that is chopped by wave energy and other forces so that it becomes small. Microplastic can enter the body of animals, plants, and humans because it have a small and invisible sizes
How Much Plastic Waste in Indonesia?
Secondly, Indonesia has a significant increase in waste volume in 2023. Based on fact in the diagram above, the waste generated in Indonesia in 2019-2023. The amount of waste generated in 2023 is 13,374,196.01 tons. The large amount of waste is mostly food waste and plastic.
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Based on the graph below, plastic waste in Indonesia reaches 18.75% of the total waste in Indonesia. So, the amount of plastic waste in Indonesia in 2023 will be 2,507,661,751875 tons. A lot of environmental problems happens because the plastic waste is scattered in the environment and the sea. Therefore, Indonesia needs to process plastic waste to overcome this problem.
Strategic Action Plan
Then, what is the plan? The image above is a strategic plan with three plans to reduce plastic waste in the short, medium, and long term.
- Short-term
Short term plan is a plan to mitigate plastic waste leakages into the environment by preventing littering, improving waste collection/transportation, and improving disposal sites. The plan is to instantly reduce plastic waste by reducing use, improving existing waste management, and burying waste in landfills.
- Medium-term
Efforts to increase the recovery and recycling of plastic waste include introducing the separation of waste at the source, increasing the recovery and recycling, as well as appropriate processing and energy recovery technologies. The medium term plan is to reuse through sorting and recycling. The result of this plan is the reuse of plastic waste into useful items.
- Long-term
The long-term plan is to improve the use of plastic in the industrial sector and consumer or community habits. Long-term plans can improve the sustainability of plastics in the industrial sector and also consumer or community habits.
What is the Strategy and Target of the Planning?
Plastic waste reduction is targeted to be achieved by 2025. This target can be achieved with the help of various parties in its success. So, who should play a role in the success of this plan?
1. National and Local Government
In fact, the government has a large share in the success of certain programs, ranging from the design, production, distribution, consumption, and collection, to the final processing process. Some of the government’s action plans are as follows:
- EPR (Extended Producer’s Responsibility) monitoring, reporting verification, and evaluation
- Compile local data and information regarding efforts
- Develop information, communication, and education materials on plastic waste reduction and handling to suit the local context
- Incentive and/or disincentive for plastic waste reduction
- Collaborate with other stakeholders
2. Stakeholders (Non-governmental Sector)
Stakeholders include various aspects of society involved in the production and use of plastics. In addition, stakeholders can be activists and researchers. So those included in stakeholders include research institutes, civil society, and NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations). Therefore, stakeholders can support this plan by:
- Coordinate stakeholders (government and private sector) to promote information, communication, and education on plastic waste reduction and handling
- Strengthen data collection and development of a robust database in waste management
- Conduct studies and programs for waste reduction
3. Consumer
Consumers are also one of the stakeholders, but the form of consumer support is different from other stakeholders. Consumers have a very important role because consumers play a role in increasing plastic waste from consumption. For this reason, consumers need to participate in waste sorting, returning waste, and using/purchasing products wisely.
Flow of Implementation of the Plastic Waste Management Plan
Waste management begins at the source of the waste by sorting it based on type. Incoming waste will be separated based on the types of organic, inorganic and Household Hazardous Materials (HW). Each type of waste will have a different processing process. Furthermore, the plastic waste will be sorted again based on the characteristics of the plastic. Each of these characteristics has different constituent materials and therefore each of these will processing separately. Plastic processing with different treatments can include material recycling, chemical recycling and thermal recycling.
The table above shows the choice of recycling based on material, chemical, and thermal processing categories. Waste processing uses several different methods. However, processing in Indonesia must follow the conditions in Indonesia. The choice of recycling process is based on the needs and type of plastic waste available, impact on the environment, costs, etc.
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However, the plan cannot be implemented if it does not have the support of Indonesian citizens. As consumers, we can reduce and reuse plastic. We can also replace the use of plastic with other items that have the same function. In addition, we can sort waste to facilitate the waste processing process as a form of our responsibility as consumers. So, do you think Indonesians can support the achievement of the goals of this plan? Write in the comments below please!
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Editor: Bellinda Putri Hidayat
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