Government identifies waste management technology at grassroots level

Jakarta — The Coordinating Minister for Food, Zulkifli Hasan, has instructed the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology (Kemdiktisaintek) to identify waste management technologies at the most basic level.

Zulkifli Hasan, speaking during a Waste Management Coordination Meeting for 2026 in Jakarta on Wednesday, stated that whilst the government will construct Waste-to-Energy Processing facilities (PSEL) at 33 locations, it is also targeting waste management at the lowest level—specifically in villages.

“In our last meeting, we gave a one-month timeframe for technologies beyond waste-to-energy, but also for smaller-scale waste. We need research support from BRIN and technological innovation to address the waste emergency,” said the minister, commonly known as Zulhas.

“PSEL operations have begun, but are only effective for large cities,” he added.

This acknowledgment reflects the fact that PSEL facilities can only process 20 per cent of the nation’s waste output and are effective only for urban areas or agglomerations with daily waste generation exceeding 1,000 tonnes.

For cities generating less waste than this threshold, Zulkifli Hasan emphasised that the government will continue seeking solutions to address waste from source rather than allowing it to accumulate at final disposal sites (TPA).

He also directed regional governments to close landfills still employing open dumping methods, with a target for completion this year.