Cross-Sector Collaboration Key to Accelerating Sustainable Waste Management

Reducing waste in Indonesia requires closer collaboration between the government, industry, waste management organisations, communities, and the public. Without cross-sector synergy, the implementation of a circular economy and national waste reduction targets will be difficult to achieve. This view emerged during the discussion ‘Circular Economy in Action: Multi-Sectoral Partnership Synergy in Accelerating Sustainable Waste Management’, organised by PT Heinz ABC Indonesia to commemorate World Environment Day 2026 in Jakarta on Tuesday (30/6). General Counsel and Head of Corporate Affairs at PT Heinz ABC Indonesia, Mira Buanawati, stated that sustainable waste management cannot be resolved by a single party. According to her, collaboration is key to building a system capable of returning more post-consumer packaging to the recycling chain. ‘ABC Indonesia supports the national agenda in implementing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and the circular economy in Indonesia. One way is through a partnership with the Indonesia Packaging Recovery Organization (IPRO) as a collaborative platform for producers in managing post-consumer packaging. We believe that sustainable waste management cannot be carried out by one party alone. Cross-sector synergy is needed to build a system that can encourage more material to return to the recycling chain and provide greater benefits for the environment,’ said Mira. According to Mira, the circular economy is an approach that encourages materials to remain in the use cycle for as long as possible through reduction, reuse, and recycling. In practice, this concept can start from simple activities, such as sorting waste from home and channelling used packaging to waste banks or appropriate collection routes so it can be reprocessed into raw materials or new products. This commitment, she continued, is in line with the Minister of Environment and Forestry Regulation Number 75 of 2019 concerning the Waste Reduction Roadmap by Producers, which encourages businesses to apply the principles of reduce, reuse, and recycle (3R) through the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme. Director of Circular Economy and Waste Management at the Ministry of Environment, Agus Rusly, said the government continues to encourage the transformation of waste management from a linear system towards a circular economy that views waste as a resource with economic value. ‘The implementation of EPR is an important instrument to ensure producers are also responsible for the post-consumer packaging they produce. The success of this agenda requires strong collaboration between the government, industry, waste management actors, and the community so that national waste reduction targets can be achieved effectively and sustainably,’ he said. In its implementation, the Indonesia Packaging Recovery Organization (IPRO) acts as a non-profit organisation formed by producers to support post-consumer packaging management through a segregated collection system and packaging recovery so it can re-enter the recycling chain. IPRO General Manager Reza Andreanto said a package’s journey does not end after it is used by the consumer. Through the collaboration of various parties, more packaging is successfully recovered, thereby reducing waste leakage into the environment and landfills. ‘The more packaging that is successfully recovered, the more the burden of waste management leakage occurring in the environment and landfills is reduced,’ he said. Meanwhile, Founder of Kita Olah Indonesia, Andriansyah, assessed that effective waste management can also create economic benefits for the community. According to him, collection for recycling activities not only aim to gather recyclable materials but also open up business opportunities for waste management communities, collectors, and recycling partners. The discussion also highlighted the importance of public participation in supporting the circular economy. Simple steps such as sorting waste from home, reducing the use of unnecessary materials, and ensuring recyclable packaging enters the appropriate collection channels are considered to have a significant impact if carried out consistently. Through collaboration between the government, industry, waste management organisations, communities, and the public, ABC Indonesia hopes that more post-consumer packaging can become part of the economic cycle. This effort is expected not only to support a cleaner environment but also to build a more efficient and sustainable resource management system.