Government Intensifies National 'Indonesia ASRI' Movement
The government, through the Ministry of Environment, is intensifying the simultaneous and continuous implementation of the Indonesia Safe, Healthy, Clean, and Beautiful (ASRI) national movement across all regions to commemorate World Environment Day 2026. Acting Deputy for Waste, Hazardous, and Toxic Material Management at the Ministry of Environment, Laksmi Widyajayanti, stated that the Indonesia ASRI national movement is a strategic step to increase public participation in protecting the environment. It also aims to accelerate national waste management targets, with implementation relying on community involvement in waste sorting from the individual level up to cross-sector collaboration.
Through World Environment Day 2026, the government is also promoting this ASRI national movement simultaneously and sustainably at the grassroots level by increasing public participation in waste sorting at the individual level. It also encourages cross-sector collaboration and demonstrates Indonesia’s commitment in global forums. Laksmi explained that through the Indonesia ASRI national movement, the government is asking governors, regents, and mayors to involve all stakeholders in formulating and establishing regional policies that support the implementation of the movement. The ASRI concept covers four main focuses: ‘Aman’ (Safe), which emphasises environmental safety, risk mitigation, and public order; ‘Sehat’ (Healthy), which is oriented towards improving environmental quality to support public health; ‘Resik’ (Clean), which focuses on integrated cleanliness and waste management; and ‘Indah’ (Beautiful), which stresses the importance of environmental aesthetics and comfortable public spaces for the community.
Beyond encouraging behavioural change, the Indonesia ASRI National Movement is also directed at supporting various government priority programmes in the environmental sector. One of the main targets to be achieved is comprehensive waste management as mandated by the National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN). According to the Ministry of Environment, Indonesia currently produces up to 51 million tonnes of waste annually, yet 74 per cent of it is not managed optimally and the majority accumulates in final disposal sites using the open dumping method. This unsorted waste cycle triggers an environmental emergency, as it releases methane gas which is 30 times more damaging than carbon dioxide, thereby exacerbating hydrometeorological disasters in coastal areas inhabited by 60 per cent of the population.
Laksmi noted that the government has priority programmes that must be undertaken, with the hope of resolving issues particularly related to achieving 100 per cent managed waste by 2029, in accordance with the RPJMN. She further asserted that the environmental issues currently of national concern are not only related to waste, but also encompass water pollution, air pollution, soil pollution, and climate change, which are all subjects of government attention and have received direct directives from President Prabowo Subianto.