{"id":12004,"date":"2026-10-18T14:22:37","date_gmt":"2026-10-18T07:22:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/student-activity.binus.ac.id\/tfi\/?p=12004"},"modified":"2026-10-18T14:22:37","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T07:22:37","slug":"plastic-waste-management-in-indonesia-a-growing-environmental-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/student-activity.binus.ac.id\/tfi\/2026\/10\/plastic-waste-management-in-indonesia-a-growing-environmental-challenge\/","title":{"rendered":"Plastic Waste Management in Indonesia: A Growing Environmental Challenge"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Source : https:\/\/news.detik.com\/foto-news\/d-7586494\/aksi-tni-susuri-ciliwung-untuk-bersihkan-sampah?utm_source=<\/a><\/p>\n

Plastic has become an essential part of everyday life in Indonesia. Plastic packaging, shopping bags, food containers, and bottles are widely used because they are inexpensive, lightweight, and convenient. However, increasing dependence on plastic has created a significant environmental challenge. Plastic can persist in the environment for long periods and enter rivers, coastal areas, and oceans when waste is not properly managed. The Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) reported that plastic accounted for 19% of recorded waste generation in Indonesia in 2023, making it the second-largest waste category after food waste. However, this figure did not represent the entire country comprehensively because only 133 of Indonesia’s 514 districts and cities had submitted waste data through the national reporting system at the time (Kementerian Lingkungan Hidup dan Kehutanan [KLHK], 2024).<\/p>\n

The scale of Indonesia’s plastic waste problem is also reflected in estimates from the World Bank. According to its report, Indonesia generates approximately 7.8 million tons of plastic waste annually, of which around 4.9 million tons are mismanaged. Mismanaged plastic waste refers to waste that is not collected, is disposed of in open dumps, or escapes from inadequately managed disposal facilities. This creates a serious risk because plastic waste can move from land into rivers and other waterways before reaching the ocean. The World Bank also estimated that approximately 346,500 tons of plastic waste from land-based sources enter the marine environment annually. The article’s cited sources further highlight the role of rivers in transporting plastic pollution into the ocean (World Bank, 2021; Kehutanan [KLHK], 2024).<\/p>\n

Research along the Ciliwung River illustrates the severity of plastic pollution in Indonesian waterways. Cordova et al. (2024) found that plastic accounted for more than 50% of the litter observed along the riverbanks, including disposable materials such as Styrofoam. The researchers estimated that between 4.95 and 18.82 tons of waste could be transported from the Ciliwung River to the ocean. This estimate highlights the potential for rivers to carry substantial amounts of waste into marine ecosystems. Plastic pollution threatens aquatic wildlife through ingestion and entanglement and can degrade the quality of waterways and public spaces. Over time, the continued accumulation of plastic can place additional pressure on ecosystems and make waste management increasingly difficult. Plastic pollution should therefore be treated not merely as a visual problem but as a long-term environmental challenge requiring coordinated action.<\/p>\n

River clean-up initiatives, including efforts along the Ciliwung River, are important for removing existing waste. However, clean-ups alone cannot resolve Indonesia’s plastic waste crisis because they address pollution after it has already entered the environment. A more effective approach requires action at several stages of the plastic life cycle. Stricter controls on unnecessary single-use plastics can reduce waste at its source, while Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) can strengthen producers’ accountability for managing the waste generated by their products and packaging. Investment in recycling infrastructure, supported by the integration of informal waste workers, can improve collection and recovery. Meanwhile, river trash traps and stronger monitoring systems can help intercept waste before it reaches the ocean. These measures work best when combined with waste reduction, reuse, reliable collection services, and effective disposal systems.<\/p>\n

The United Nations Environment Programme (2023) reported that a comprehensive circular economy approach, emphasizing reduction, reuse, and recycling, could reduce plastic pollution entering the environment by up to 80% by 2040. This figure is a projection rather than a guaranteed outcome, and achieving such reductions depends on effective implementation of the proposed measures. For Indonesia, the broader lesson is that plastic pollution cannot be solved through clean-up campaigns alone. Long-term progress requires coordinated action from the government, businesses, communities, and individuals to reduce plastic use, improve waste management, and prevent plastic from entering waterways in the first place.<\/p>\n

References<\/strong><\/p>\n

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  1. Cordova, M. R., Kelly, M. R., Hafizt, M., Wibowo, S. P. A., Ulumuddin, Y. I., Purbonegoro, T., Yogaswara, D., Kaisupy, M. T., Subandi, R., Sani, S. Y., Thompson, R. C., & Jobling, S. (2024). From riverbank to the sea: An initial assessment of plastic pollution along the Ciliwung River, Indonesia. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 206<\/em>, 116662. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.marpolbul.2024.116662<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Kementerian Lingkungan Hidup dan Kehutanan. (2024). Laporan kinerja Kementerian Lingkungan Hidup dan Kehutanan tahun 2023<\/em>. Kementerian Lingkungan Hidup dan Kehutanan Republik Indonesia.<\/li>\n
  3. World Bank. (2021). Plastic waste discharges from rivers and coastlines in Indonesia<\/em>. World Bank.<\/li>\n
  4. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). (2023). Turning off the Tap: How the world can end plastic pollution and create a circular economy.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Source : https:\/\/news.detik.com\/foto-news\/d-7586494\/aksi-tni-susuri-ciliwung-untuk-bersihkan-sampah?utm_source= Plastic has become an essential part of everyday life in Indonesia. Plastic packaging, shopping bags, food containers, and bottles are widely used because they are inexpensive, lightweight, and convenient. However, increasing dependence on plastic has created a significant environmental challenge. Plastic can persist in the environment for long periods and enter rivers, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":12005,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12004","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/student-activity.binus.ac.id\/tfi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12004","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/student-activity.binus.ac.id\/tfi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/student-activity.binus.ac.id\/tfi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/student-activity.binus.ac.id\/tfi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/46"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/student-activity.binus.ac.id\/tfi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12004"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/student-activity.binus.ac.id\/tfi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12004\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12006,"href":"https:\/\/student-activity.binus.ac.id\/tfi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12004\/revisions\/12006"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/student-activity.binus.ac.id\/tfi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12005"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/student-activity.binus.ac.id\/tfi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12004"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/student-activity.binus.ac.id\/tfi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12004"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/student-activity.binus.ac.id\/tfi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12004"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}