Indonesia’s plastic waste imports are more than 194,000 tons in 2022. However, some of this waste has not been managed properly.
Residents dry on the village road pieces of plastic packaging sorted from imported waste in front of their houses in Bangun Village, Pungging District, Mojokerto Regency, East Java, Monday (8/7/2019). Most residents in the area depend on their lives by sorting imported waste from paper factories.
Import of waste or non-hazardous and toxic waste (B3) for paper and plastic groups is still carried out by a number of countries, including Indonesia. Based on the United Nations Commodity Trade Statistics Database (UN Comtrade), in 2022 the volume of Indonesian plastic waste imports reached more than 194,000 tons.
A 2021 report from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime noted that waste imports from Western countries to Asia and Africa have been going on since the 1970s. The report also said that Southeast Asian countries have become the largest destinations for waste imports from Europe, North America, and Australia.
However, many of the waste importing countries have only basic recycling facilities. Many of the waste importing countries, which are mostly developing countries, also do not have the facilities to process waste safely and effectively.
This condition makes the destination countries for waste imports, including Indonesia, unable to process mixed or B3 waste specifically. This is confirmed in a report and investigation by the Conservation and Wetland Foundation (Ecoton) which revealed that some of the waste imported into Indonesia is not managed properly by the company.
In addition, exporting countries often smuggle other types of waste that are not in accordance with the agreement. Some exporting countries still insert plastic waste, such as elastic food packaging during the process of importing paper waste to Indonesia.
Customs and Excise officers show newspapers found inside a container containing imported waste paper from Australia that was secured by the Tanjung Perak Customs and Excise Enforcement Team at the Surabaya Container Terminal, Surabaya, Tuesday (9/7/2019).
In the end, mixed plastic waste from imports is managed by being dumped or burned, causing environmental and health problems for humans. Burning plastic waste can release dioxin toxins that are very dangerous for humans. While burning plastic waste can release microplastics.
Ecoton Executive Director Daru Setyorini said that imported waste entering Indonesia since the 1970s was more of the paper type considering that at that time there was growth in paper factories. In 2019, the amount of imported waste to Indonesia increased after China closed waste imports to its country.
“Waste collection in developed countries is already segregated, but they don’t want to recycle. Finally, they dump their waste in developing countries with the excuse of recycling. Actually, we are experiencing colonization because of this waste export,” he said in an online discussion related to imported waste at the end of August.
With a population of 280 million, Indonesia can indeed produce a large amount of recyclable waste. However, the majority of recyclable waste in Indonesia is not sorted properly so that it is mixed with other types of waste.
Waste collection in developed countries is already segregated, but they do not want to recycle. Finally, they dump their waste in developing countries with the excuse of recycling.
Rini admitted that Indonesia does not yet have a system waste management comprehensive. At least 70 percent of waste has not been managed properly. This causes a lot of waste to be scattered into the environment or managed by burning.On the other hand, most developed countries have implemented good waste sorting so that organic waste generally does not contaminate recycled waste. On the other hand, the supply of waste from developed countries is also relatively large. These quantity and quality factors are what make companies in Indonesia still import waste from other countries.
“The paper industry in Indonesia requires around 6 million tons of paper waste as raw material and 50 percent of it is still supplied by imported waste. If the Indonesian government is serious about improving the domestic waste management system, I am sure the supply will be sufficient because paper waste can come from markets or shops,” he said.
Waste Sorting
According to Rini, Indonesia has an abundant supply of waste, especially for paper and plastic types that can be recycled. Therefore, the government needs to increase waste collection efforts so that it can reach the entire community.
“Then, sorting is done from the source or from home, especially from organic and anorganic types. The goal is so that organic waste is not wet or dirty so that it can supply the needs of the paper and plastic recycling industry,” he said.
However, Rini said that recycling waste, especially plastic waste, still has risks, especially for human health because it contains dangerous chemical compounds. The process of recycling plastic waste cannot be done carelessly and requires the support of technology and complex processes.
Most of workers are employed as waste pickers are sorting various types of waste that were successfully collected from the Saguling Reservoir by the Bening Saguling Foundation in Cihampelas Village, Cihampelas District, West Bandung Regency, Wednesday. (17/7/2024).
“The activities of washing, choping, and sorting waste are carried out by home industries that do not have mechanisms to control or prevent pollution. So, the recycling process in Indonesia is still cheap because many external costs have not been covered, but this will cause an accumulation of social and environmental impacts,” he said.
The Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) noted that waste generation in Indonesia in 2023 has reached 69.9 million tons. This national waste generation figure has increased from the previous year which reached 68.5 million tons.
Of that amount, the largest waste composition comes from the household sector, namely food waste as much as 41.60 percent. Several other types of waste, namely plastic (18.71 percent), wood or twigs (11.31 percent), paper (10.72 percent), and metal (3.36 percent).
Director General of Waste, Waste, and B3 Management of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry Rosa Vivien Ratnawati often admits that waste management in Indonesia still faces a number of challenges, especially related to the mindset of the community. So far, there are still many people who have not reduced and sorted waste properly.
The “Your Trash is Drowning Us” demonstration at the Australian Consulate General in Surabaya, Tuesday (11/6/2024). The action was a call for the Australian Government to stop sending plastic waste to Indonesia because it has worsened the environment of East Java. From 2023-2024, Indonesia imported 22,333 tons of plastic waste from Australia.
Vivien said that around 20-30 percent of sorted plastic and paper waste still comes from imports. From the analysis conducted, it is estimated that Indonesia will only be free from imports of sorted waste as raw materials for the recycling industry around the 2030s.
“However, this target can be achieved with very hard work. If it is not realized, around 30 percent of unmanaged waste is still dumped into the environment,” he said at a national coordination meeting waste bank 2024 some time ago.
One of the efforts to improve the waste sorting process from its source is done through the optimization of waste banks. Later, the waste that has been sorted from this waste bank will then be distributed to recycling companies. Therefore, the waste collected from the waste bank must be maintained in terms of quantity and quality.
Ecoton (Ecological Observation and Wetlands Conservation) is a foundation focused on the conservation of river ecosystems and wetlands in Indonesia. We conduct scientific research, environmental education, and awareness campaigns to improve water quality and protect biodiversity.
