Eka Tjipta Widjaja - Prajogo Pangestu's Collaboration With Conglomerate-Owned Companies To Turn Plastic Waste Into Asphalt

JAKARTA - Sinar Mas Land, owned by conglomerate Eka Tjipta Widjaja, and tycoon Prajogo Pangestu, PT Chandra Asri Petrochemical Tbk, are working together to encourage a circular economy by actively developing asphalt with a mixture of plastic waste.

The application of plastic asphalt has been carried out on one of the roads in the West area of BSD City. The total area that has been paved is 15,518 m2 where the total plastic waste used is 5.37 tons or the equivalent of 3.58 million pieces of plastic bags.

Managing Director President Office of Sinar Mas Land, Dhony Rahajoe, explained that this collaboration with Chandra Asri will turn plastic waste into materials that have economic value and are useful in infrastructure development while reducing the rate of increase in the amount of plastic waste that damages the environment. According to him, this program is in line with the company's sustainability vision to create sustainable development.

"As a form of positive contribution to Indonesia's commitment to protecting the environment, Sinar Mas Land realizes the need for concrete steps to be taken on the issue of environmental change and environmental conservation. Plastic waste is one of the big problems that need to be solved together", he said in a written statement, quoted Wednesday, September 8.

Meanwhile, Vice President of Corporate Relations & Sustainability Chandra Asri Edi Rivai said, since 2018 Chandra Asri has implemented asphalt with a mixture of plastic waste through the "Aspal Plastik Untuk Indonesia Asri" program together with other stakeholders. This program is part of Chandra Asri's efforts to implement the circular economy model.

"The collaboration with Sinar Mas Land is our effort to continue to find sustainable solutions to the problem of waste, especially plastic waste in Indonesia. We believe the problem of plastic waste can be handled with the participation of various stakeholders. Hopefully, in the future more parties will participate in this initiative to support the Indonesian government in achieving its waste management goals", added Edi.

Previously, Chandra Asri had held asphalt events with a mixture of plastic waste in various cities in Indonesia such as Cilegon, Tegal, and Semarang in collaboration with the local government. Until now, the total road mats with asphalt plastic waste by Chandra Asri and his partners are 42.74 km long and 234.1 tons of plastic waste have been successfully managed through this activity.

A lecturer at the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Indonesia, Gabriel Andari Kristanto, assessed that the plastic asphalt event conducted by Chandra Asri and Sinar Mas Land was one of the applications of the circular economy concept.

"In this activity, plastic waste is upcycled into a mixture of asphalt so that it has a higher economic value. Not only that, but plastic waste is also a material with new uses that can be enjoyed by the wider community", he said.

The asphalt model with a mixture of plastic waste is a program of the Government of Indonesia through the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR). The type of plastic waste used is crackle plastic waste which is commonly used as daily shopping bags, namely the HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene) type.