Bontang's Unique Disaster Mitigation Strategy: Plant Trees and Fast
An environmental forum held during the 18th National Working Meeting of the Association of the All-Indonesia City Governments (APEKSI) in Medan, North Sumatra, served as a platform for cities to share experiences regarding various innovations and best practices in environmental management.
Concrete policies to face climate change are being implemented by the Bontable City Government, an industrial and maritime city on the coast of East Kalimantan Province, focusing on nature conservation and disaster mitigation. Examples include coral reef transplantation in the Coral Arboretum and the Pasilan, Karang Segajah area, alongside the planting of mangroves and trees.
“In Bontang, every employee who is promoted, newly recruited civil servants (ASN), and government workers with work contracts (PPPK) are required to plant at least one tree that must grow. Newlyweds are also required to plant a tree,” said the Mayor of Bontang, Neni Moerniaeni, in Medan on Wednesday, 1 July 2026. This regulation, in effect since Neni took office, aims to increase Green Open Space (RTH).
Beyond planting trees, the community is also encouraged to fast every Monday and Thursday to reduce waste. There is also the ‘My Waste is My Responsibility’ movement, or GESIT, which invites the city’s 191,000 residents to care for waste management in their respective environments. The target is to become the cleanest city in Indonesia.
“At a minimum, we must reduce the use of single-use food and beverage containers. We must start with ourselves,” Neni stated. In addition to the routine ‘Clean Friday’ programme, to foster collective awareness and provide a deterrent effect, there are sanctions for anyone caught littering.
Another programme is ‘Smart Tani Goes to School’, which provides early agricultural and environmental education to students, introducing the importance of preserving nature for a sustainable future. Furthermore, annual appreciation is given to pioneers and activists who contribute to environmental conservation.
As a result, in late February 2026, Bontang City received an award ranking fifth towards becoming a clean city at the national level from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) during the 2026 National Waste Management Coordination Meeting. The award was received by the Vice Mayor of Bontang, Agus Haris, at Balai Kartini, Jakarta.
In addition to the award, Bontang City also received three waste motor trolley units from the Ministry of Environment (KLH). This assistance is expected to strengthen the waste collection fleet at the sub-district level and optimise cleaning services.