An overview of current household waste management in Indonesia: development of a new integrated strategy

Abstract

One of the main problems of current socio-economic activities in Indonesia is how to deal with the increasing amounts of household waste generated in urban areas. This paper discusses the main issues of the current management of household waste in Indonesia and analyses its socio-economic factors as well as introduces a new strategy to utilise and reduce household waste for current and future generations. Many large cities in Indonesia are suffering from severe problems caused by disorderly household waste handling and require an integrated management approach involving various players. The paper addresses the implementation of 3R activities by the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Public Work and Society. The study found that the introduction of biomass, pollutant and waste treatment sectors with proper advanced technologies will reduce waste generation and CO2 emissions. The study also suggests that the coordination between regional governments and political commitment are necessary and that the Indonesian Government should be open-minded about new ways to comprehensively deal with all types of waste.