Environmental Care Action is Increasingly Widespread, the Community is Invited to Actively Sort Waste

JAKARTA - Household waste management is still a major challenge in various cities in Indonesia. The lack of habit of sorting waste from the house makes a lot of inorganic waste end up in landfills and is difficult to recycle.

No wonder, various initiatives that bring waste management facilities closer to the community have begun to be developed to encourage environmentally friendly habits in daily activities.

One of them is carried out through the addition of Waste Station facilities at a number of modern retail points in Jakarta, Bandung, and Bali. This cross-sector collaboration program allows the public to deposit inorganic waste more easily, even when shopping for daily necessities.

The initiative is carried out in collaboration with waste management partner Rekosistem and has the support of the Ministry of Environment and the Indonesian Environmental Management Agency as part of efforts to strengthen the national waste management system.

The Coordinator of the Implementation of Producers Directorate of Waste Reduction and Circular Economy Development of the Ministry of Environment, Ujang Solihin Sidik, assessed that collaboration like this is important to expand public access to waste management facilities.

"We appreciate Nestlé Indonesia's efforts together with Alfamart in presenting Waste Station facilities that are increasingly reaching the community. Cross-sector collaboration like this is the key to encouraging holistic waste management from upstream to downstream, as well as increasing public awareness and participation in sorting waste from its source," he said, as in a press release received by VOI, Wednesday, May 13.

He also emphasized that national waste management could no longer rely on the old pattern that ended up in the final disposal site (TPA).

"At the same time, national waste management can no longer rely on conventional approaches that end up in landfills. Real intervention from upstream is needed, including the active role of producers and access to facilities close to the community. Initiatives like this need to continue to be expanded to accelerate the achievement of national waste reduction targets and the implementation of a circular economy in Indonesia," he continued.

This waste collection program has been running since 2023 and is now spread across various major cities such as Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, and Bali. Until early 2026, the facility is said to have helped absorb more than 244 thousand kilograms of inorganic waste.

Throughout 2025, the volume of waste collected reached more than 126 tons or increased by about 46 percent compared to the previous year. The number of participants is also increasing with more than 14 thousand users participating in the program.

Nestlé Indonesia's Corporate Affairs Director, Fajar Dewantara, said that waste issues require the involvement of many parties so that they can be handled sustainably.

"We are committed to continue to encourage innovation in the development of sustainable packaging and also the management of post-consumption packaging waste. We believe that in the face of increasingly complex packaging challenges, cross-sector collaboration is key," said Fajar.

According to him, facilities such as Waste Station are expected to help build a more integrated waste management system as well as encourage changes in people's behavior in sorting waste from home.

"Through this action, we want to encourage the active role of industry, retail, waste management partners, and the community to work together to build a more integrated waste management system and provide a meaningful and tangible impact on the environment," he continued.

In its implementation, the public can deposit inorganic waste that has been sorted and cleaned first. The registration process is carried out through scanning a QR code and users will receive points based on the type and amount of waste deposited. The points can then be exchanged for shopping vouchers.

Alfamart Property and Development Director Hans Harischandra said that the approach that is close to daily activities is expected to make people more accustomed to managing waste responsibly.

"As a retailer that is present and grows together with the community, Alfamart is committed to continue to take an active role in encouraging sustainable solutions, especially in waste management at the community level," he said.

He hopes that similar facilities can later be expanded to more points so that the benefits can be felt by the wider community.

Apart from Waste Station, the company has also developed a number of other post-consumer waste management initiatives as part of efforts to strengthen the recycling ecosystem in Indonesia.

"We strive to make relevant contributions to the community at the community level, especially in supporting more structured post-consumption waste management. We believe that continued collaboration is the key to building a more integrated system in Indonesia," concluded Fajar Dewantara.