Coordinating Minister introduces BRIN's 'Lahsamor' to reduce organic waste

Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan has introduced an organic waste processing technology called ‘lahsamor’ as an alternative for tackling waste problems on the island of Bali. Speaking in Denpasar on Tuesday, Zulkifli said the key to solving the waste issue lies in separating organic and inorganic waste, and highlighted the device made by the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN). During a waste sorting awareness event at Renon Square, Zulkifli inspected the workings of ‘lahsamor’, which is designed to process household organic waste daily. With this drum-based technology, 40 per cent of daily household waste can be prevented from reaching final disposal sites, although its use is currently limited to the household scale. “The tool is small but it can process 1 kg per day, and it takes three years to fill up. But I have also requested a larger version, perhaps one that can handle 50 kg, which would be suitable for a school,” said the Coordinating Minister for Food. The ‘lahsamor’ was initiated by BRIN. The innovation is not intended to replace other solutions such as the ‘teba modern’ in Bali, but rather to serve as an alternative for communities that lack the space to build a teba in their yards. The technology works by placing 0.5 kg to 1 kg of rotten organic waste into the device each day and then turning a lever five times. What sets it apart from common compost bags is that the compost bag requires the user to remove the compost and mix in additional materials, whereas with ‘lahsamor’, the compost simply falls out on its own when the drum is opened and rotated. The minister reminded the public that waste separation remains the primary step in solving the waste problem. While changing habits at home may be difficult, he noted it should be easier to implement in schools, offices, or shopping centres because they are more organised. Once waste is separated and organic waste is managed, larger-scale technologies can be introduced to process inorganic waste, such as the PSEL facility scheduled to begin construction in Bali on 8 July 2026. “We will launch the PSEL, or Waste-to-Energy Processing facility. This can resolve the open dumping that is currently our main problem and has reached emergency category, like the recent fire in Jatiwaringin and the previous incident in Bantar Gebang where seven people died,” Zulkifli said.