Partial Waste-to-Energy Solution

Danantara is investing heavily in a waste-to-energy project, but the solution does not tackle the core issue. The Daya Anagata Nusantara Investment Management Agency is moving ahead with a Rp87 trillion project. While the idea of turning waste into energy is promising for addressing a widespread problem in Indonesia, it is a downstream approach that does not address the underlying cause.

The root of the problem lies in Indonesia's lack of policies and awareness to curb waste generation at its source, beginning with individual behavior. Traditions, education, and government policies do not encourage people to reduce their waste creation. The result is that waste continues to accumulate in landfills, which are reaching capacity and causing problems such as methane gas explosions.

The government has not provided incentives for waste sorting and recycling, and "reduce, reuse, and recycle" remain empty statements without supportive policies. Instead of spending Rp87 trillion on converting waste into energy, the government should allocate funds to tackle the waste problem at its source by providing incentives for household waste sorting and supporting the recycling industry.

At the national level, the government could also require industries to reclaim the waste they generate, similar to carbon credit schemes. This approach has been successful in other countries like Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, Ethiopia, and Rwanda. While Danantara plans to use incineration, a cheaper method, the Bantargebang Integrated Waste Treatment Facility in Bekasi, West Java, can only process a fraction of Jakarta's daily waste, making it an inadequate solution.

A comprehensive, phased, and measurable strategy is needed to tackle the waste problem. Converting waste into electricity is a partial solution that only addresses the symptoms and not the root cause.