{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1701667,
        "msgid": "palm-oil-waste-policy-needs-re-evaluation-risks-triggering-costs-and-ecological-issues-1777200682",
        "date": "2026-04-26 17:00:00",
        "title": "Palm Oil Waste Policy Needs Re-evaluation, Risks Triggering Costs and Ecological Issues",
        "author": "Aprillia Ika",
        "source": "KOMPAS",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Regulation",
        "summary": "A proposed tightening of standards for liquid waste from palm oil factories, requiring Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) levels below 100 mg\/l before discharge into rivers, is criticised as misguided by soil expert Dr. Gunawan Djajakirana from Pusaka Kalam. He urges the Ministry of Environment and Forestry to review the draft regulation, arguing it overlooks the ecological potential of the waste as a natural organic fertiliser for plantations and could lead to eutrophication, higher production costs, and methane emissions. Instead, utilising the waste on land could enhance soil fertility, reduce synthetic fertiliser use, and support sustainable agronomy amid Indonesia's soil organic matter crisis.",
        "content": "<p>JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Plans to tighten standards for Liquid Waste\nfrom Palm Oil Factories (LCPKS) to a Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD)\nbelow 100 mg\/l are seen as potentially misguided if still directed\ntowards discharge into river bodies. Researcher from Pusaka Kalam,\nDr.\u00a0Gunawan Djajakirana, has called on the Ministry of Environment and\nForestry (Kemen LH) to re-examine the draft regulation, deeming it not\nbased on soil ecology approaches or sustainable agronomic practices.\nAccording to Gunawan, policies forcing the palm oil industry to process\nLCPKS to very low standards before river disposal would squander the\nsignificant potential of the waste as a source of natural organic\nfertiliser for plantations. \u201cFocusing the regulation solely on BOD below\n100 mg\/l is misguided. The environment is not automatically safe just\nbecause BOD is low. Re-examine the draft ministerial regulation so it\ndoes not ignore the positive potential of LCPKS,\u201d Gunawan stated in his\ncomments on Sunday (26\/4\/2026). In fact, based on field analyses he has\nconducted, LCPKS meeting low BOD standards still contains high nutrient\nlevels that can trigger eutrophication if discharged into rivers. This\ncondition can cause algal blooms and excessive growth of aquatic plants,\nwhich actually damage water ecosystems. \u201cSo, 100 mg\/l does not mean it\u2019s\nsafe. If the volume is large, it can still pollute,\u201d said Gunawan, an\nexpert in soil science. He views the waste disposal approach as an\noutdated paradigm that is no longer relevant. In his opinion, LCPKS\nshould be utilised to improve soil function because Indonesia is facing\na crisis of soil organic matter due to long-term use of synthetic\nfertilisers. \u201cOrganic matter for soil is like blood for humans. If it\u2019s\nlacking, the system doesn\u2019t function optimally,\u201d he explained. Utilising\nLCPKS on palm oil land is seen as capable of enhancing overall soil\nfertility (biological, physical, and chemical), improving the soil\u2019s\nwater storage capacity, reducing the need for synthetic fertilisers,\nimproving soil structure, and suppressing carbon emissions from\nsynthetic fertiliser production. The obligation to lower BOD to 100 mg\/l\nis also seen as significantly burdening the palm oil industry. To\nachieve that standard, factories must build extensive series of LCPKS\nprocessing ponds (cooling ponds, sedimentation ponds, anaerobic ponds,\naerobic ponds, and others) that are large, require significant\nelectrical energy, pumps, and unproductive land up to tens of hectares.\n\u201cProduction costs rise, productive land for palm oil is lost, but\nenvironmental benefits are not guaranteed; instead, it produces methane\ngas,\u201d he emphasised. Gunawan considers the fundamental mistake in the\ndraft regulation to be the focus on concentration figures rather than\nthe total amount of waste applied to the environment. According to him,\nthe correct agronomic principle is dose regulation. LCPKS with high\nconcentrations remains safe if the application volume is small and\ndirectly applied to the soil as nourishment for microorganisms. For\ncontext, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry is currently\ndeveloping a draft ministerial regulation on Wastewater Quality\nStandards and Wastewater Management for Crude Palm Oil Business and\/or\nActivities. One of the drafts under scrutiny is the justification for\nsetting wastewater quality standards for irrigation with BOD below 100\nmg\/l and the use of synthetic (artificial) fertilisers. This draft tends\nto overlook the significant potential of LCPKS as an excellent organic\nfertiliser for sustainable palm tree productivity.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/palm-oil-waste-policy-needs-re-evaluation-risks-triggering-costs-and-ecological-issues-1777200682",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}