Minister Jumhur Reveals Strategies to Finish 100 Percent Waste, PSEL is Not the Only Solution

Minister of Environment and Forestry Mohammad Jumhur Hidayat. (Photo: ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Environment Minister Mohammad Jumhur Hidayat said Waste to Energy (PSEL) is part of the government's strategy to complete 100 percent of national waste management through various technological approaches.

"PSEL is one thing, but we still have 480 or (about) 470 districts/cities left. The problem is the same, we have to ensure that the garbage is 100 percent complete," said Jumhur as reported by ANTARA, Thursday, July 16.

According to him, PSEL is mainly directed to urban areas or agglomerations with large-scale waste generation, while other areas require processing methods that are tailored to the volume and characteristics of the waste.

In the panel discussion, Jumhur estimated that the construction of a PSEL with a minimum scale of 1,000 tons per day can serve around 60-70 districts and cities that are included in a number of agglomeration areas.

Meanwhile, around 480 other districts and cities still need waste management solutions outside PSEL, including processing into fuel, reusing materials, and processing organic waste.

"Waste to energy means that it can be electricity, it can be other fuels, even fuel oil. We have talked more about electricity," he said.

The majority said that the government simultaneously carried out waste reduction and management efforts from the source through sorting campaigns, education so that the public does not throw away garbage carelessly, and river cleaning activities.

"The steps towards that are real, we are doing it, starting with a waste sorting campaign, educating the public not to throw away garbage indiscriminately and sorting, cleaning the river and so on," he said.

Based on the government's exposure at the event, the national waste generation reached around 141,926 tons per day. Of this amount, about 26 percent has been managed well, while the rest still needs to be strengthened in terms of reduction, collection, and processing systems.

In the roadmap to 100 percent managed waste by 2029, PSEL is projected to contribute to handling around 22.5 percent of waste generation, especially in metropolitan and urban areas that meet the scale of economics.

The government also directs around 25.3 percent of waste generation to be managed through integrated waste processing facilities based on refuse derived fuel (RDF), especially in areas that have access to alternative fuel user industries.

Furthermore, around 20 percent is handled through non-RDF integrated waste processing sites or pyrolysis, 19.8 percent through TPS3R and the parent waste bank, and 12.4 percent through the processing of organic waste from sources.

According to Jumhur, this division shows that waste processing into electricity is not the only option.

Waste can also be used to make RDF, coal substitute pellets, and other products within the circular economy framework.

He added that the central government, local government, PLN, business world, academics, and community groups need to work in one system so that waste reduction from sources goes hand in hand with the development of processing facilities.

"All stakeholders, including PLN and others, are in a good orchestration. In fact, they are ready to buy the electricity," said Jumhur.

He is optimistic that the resolution of the waste problem can be accelerated by 2028-2029 through a combination of infrastructure development, sorting from sources, community education, and the use of technology that is appropriate for the needs of each region.