National Waste Awareness Day: Ahmad Luthfi Launches Central Java ASRI Movement
An event involving more than 1,000 participants coincided with the commemoration of National Waste Awareness Day. The activity, centred at a coastal location, was simultaneously carried out across all 35 regencies and cities throughout Central Java.
During the clean-up operation, Ahmad Luthfi climbed aboard a loader to scoop up piles of rubbish and transfer them to dump trucks standing by. Accompanied by Deputy Governor Taj Yasin, Luthfi was seen operating the bucket loader, scooping up a mixture of plastic waste, wood, and household refuse that had accumulated along the coastline.
The bucket was raised full several times before being emptied into truck beds stationed at the shore. The action drew the attention of participants taking part in the simultaneous waste clean-up.
On the occasion, Luthfi stated that the waste problem in Central Java had reached emergency levels, necessitating concrete action.
“Waste in Central Java amounts to nearly 6.36 million tonnes per year. Only around 60 per cent can be processed, while the remainder has not been managed optimally. This must be a serious concern for all of us,” Luthfi said in a written statement on Tuesday (24/2/2026).
He reminded attendees that the President had set a target for Indonesia to achieve zero waste by 2029. For this reason, the Jateng ASRI Movement must become a tangible initiative. He requested that all regents and mayors immediately submit concrete data on waste management in their respective areas.
“Tomorrow I will bring this to a meeting at the national level,” Luthfi said.
Beyond the waste issue, Luthfi also highlighted the importance of protecting Central Java’s coastline, which stretches approximately 920 kilometres. At the same venue, he called for coastal reforestation programmes, including the Mageri Segoro (Guarding the Sea) Movement, to be intensified across the 17 regencies and cities with coastlines.
The planting of mangroves and coastal vegetation was deemed a preventive measure against abrasion and environmental disasters. In December 2025, planting had reached nearly two million seedlings, and it is hoped this figure will continue to increase this year.
Additionally, the Head of Central Java Province’s Environment and Forestry Agency, Widi Hartanto, stated that the waste clean-up was a follow-up to the Governor’s Circular on the Central Java ASRI Movement.
“Today, waste clean-up operations and tree planting were carried out simultaneously across 35 regencies and cities at the same time, with the majority of regents and mayors directly leading activities in their respective areas,” he said.
He also reported on progress in waste management across Central Java. Currently, refuse-derived fuel (RDF)-based waste processing is operational in the regencies of Cilacap, Banyumas, and Magelang, whilst waste-to-electricity processing is already running in the city of Surakarta.
“The Central Java Provincial Government has also initiated cross-regional collaboration in transforming landfills into Integrated Waste Processing Facilities, including cooperation on the provision and utilisation of RDF with cement industries in a number of regencies and cities,” Widi said.
Through the Jateng ASRI Movement, the Central Java Provincial Government is driving the acceleration of waste management transformation whilst building active community participation in maintaining environmental cleanliness.
In addition to using heavy equipment to clear large volumes of accumulated waste, participants also combed the coastline manually, picking up and sorting rubbish before placing it into sacks for collection.
The event was attended by the Central Java Provincial Secretary, members of the Central Java Regional Leadership Coordination Forum (Forkopimda), as well as the Regent of Batang and the Batang Regency Forkopimda. Regional heads from all 35 regencies and cities participated online.
Participants involved in the event came from various sectors, including the military, police, universities, business entities, community and religious organisations, volunteers, students, and the general public.