JAKARTA \u2014 The Ministry of Environment\/Environmental Control Agency\n(KLH\/BPLH) is preparing new rules to expand producers\u2019 responsibility\nfor managing plastic waste. Under the policy, producers will be\nencouraged to take back product packaging after consumers have used it,\nreducing waste that could pollute rivers, lakes and seas.<\/p>\n
Deputy Minister of Environment and Deputy Head of BPLH Diaz\nHendropriyono said plastic waste must be controlled at its source on\nland. The government is preparing to strengthen its extended producer\nresponsibility (EPR) policy to prevent packaging waste from ending up in\naquatic ecosystems.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are also preventing plastic from reaching our rivers, lakes and\nseas. That is why Indonesia is preparing new regulations on extended\nproducer responsibility so that producers take back their product\npackaging,\u201d Diaz said, according to a statement from the ministry on\nSunday (25 October 2026). He was speaking at the closing of the 11th\nInternational Waters Conference, organised by the Global Environment\nFacility (GEF) in Bali on Thursday (22 October 2026).<\/p>\n
The policy is one of the government\u2019s measures to address water\npollution caused by activities on land. Packaging waste that is not\nproperly managed can be carried by water flows, adding to pollution in\nrivers, lakes and seas.<\/p>\n
Alongside preparing producer-responsibility rules, KLH\/BPLH is also\nworking to reactivate waste-management facilities that have been out of\noperation. The measure is intended to increase waste-treatment capacity\nbefore rubbish enters waterways.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the same time, we are also reactivating thousands of\nwaste-management facilities that have been inactive,\u201d Diaz said.<\/p>\n
Diaz said preventing water pollution was inseparable from protecting\nterrestrial ecosystems. Environmental management must be integrated from\nupstream to downstream, he said, because the condition of land around\nwater sources also affects the health and sustainability of aquatic\necosystems.<\/p>\n
\u201cExperience has taught us one of the most important lessons: we\ncannot protect water without protecting the land around it. Indonesia\nalready has good practices in this area,\u201d Diaz said.<\/p>\n
For example, the government runs the Peatland-Caring Independent\nVillage (DMPG) and Mangrove-Caring Independent Village (DMPM)\nprogrammes, which involve communities in protecting and restoring\necosystems. Both programmes combine conservation activities with efforts\nto safeguard local livelihoods.<\/p>\n
Through DMPG, communities are involved in keeping peatlands wet to\nreduce the risk of fires. Residents are also encouraged to earn income\nfrom the use of restored land.<\/p>\n
DMPM, meanwhile, involves coastal communities in protecting and\nrestoring mangrove areas. The programme is expected to preserve the\necological functions of coastal areas while supporting local economic\nactivity.<\/p>\n
At the conference, Indonesia also highlighted the importance of\nprotecting karst ecosystems, which play a role in storing and\nchannelling groundwater. The government believes karst protection should\nreceive greater attention in international environmental\ndiscussions.<\/p>\n
Indonesia previously proposed a resolution on karst ecosystems at the\nUnited Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) in December 2025. Although it\ndid not reach consensus, the government plans to raise the issue again\nat international forums.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are seeking to raise global awareness of karst ecosystems, which\ncurrently receive far too little international attention. Indonesia\nproposed a resolution on karst ecosystems for the sake of water, but it\ndid not reach consensus. We will continue working to bring the issue of\nkarst back to the table,\u201d Diaz said.<\/p>\n
By strengthening producer responsibility and managing waste on land,\nthe government aims to reduce pollution pressures on aquatic ecosystems.\nThe policy complements environmental protection efforts involving\npeatland restoration, mangrove conservation and the protection of karst\nareas.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/environment-ministry-to-expand-producers-responsibility-for-plastic-waste-1792893034", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }