Environment Minister Supports Strengthening Medical and Hazardous Waste Management Ecosystem
Environment Minister and Head of the Environmental Control Agency (BPLH), Moh Jumhur Hidayat, is supporting the strengthening of a more transparent and sustainable ecosystem for managing medical and hazardous waste (B3) to protect the public and the environment. During a working visit to the PT Prasadha Pamunah Limbah Industri (PPLI) facility in Bogor Regency, West Java, on Thursday, Jumhur explained that this strengthening must be based on three main pillars: traceability, waste mass balance, and consistent law enforcement.
“Managing B3 and medical waste is not enough by just relying on the capacity of processing facilities, but must ensure process safety, traceability, strict emission controls, and certainty of final residue management so as not to impact the environment and future generations,” Jumhur stated. He noted that these three elements are necessary to ensure every waste stream can be traced and accounted for, while preventing the risk of pollution and irregularities in its management.
During the visit, the Minister appreciated PPLI’s more than three decades of experience as a pioneer in integrated B3 and medical waste management in Indonesia. He urged that the quality of its governance be maintained and serve as a benchmark for other industry players in implementing responsible and sustainable integrated management practices.
Jumhur also highlighted the potential risks in the management chain of used medical materials that have economic value. He emphasized that such materials must not be arbitrarily traded or utilized without going through a management process that guarantees safety and environmental protection. “Producers of waste must contract directly with the waste utilizer or processor, and the processor can then contract with collectors or transporters,” he clarified.
PPLI’s President Director, Takanobu Tachikawa, welcomed the Minister’s directives and affirmed the company’s readiness to support the government’s efforts to strengthen the B3 waste management system comprehensively from upstream to downstream. He considered the Minister’s visit an important momentum to enhance collaboration between the government and industry in building a safe, orderly, and accountable waste management system.