PGN strengthens circular economy through plastic waste management
To encourage self-reliant waste management at company sites, thereby providing tangible benefits to the environment while creating added value.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - PT Perusahaan Gas Negara (PGN), a gas subholding of Pertamina, is applying circular economy principles in its operational areas through a programme to manage plastic waste in the company environment into valuable products.
PGN Corporate Secretary Fajriyah Usman stated that the programme is not merely an environmental management activity but also part of efforts to build a sustainability culture involving all company elements.
“This programme is presented to encourage self-reliant waste management at company locations, thereby providing tangible benefits to the environment while creating added value for society,” she said in her statement in Jakarta on Saturday.
In its implementation, PGN has prepared an integrated plastic waste management system, starting from the sorting process by all employees, collection and management together with Kertabumi Recycling Centre, to final processing in collaboration with Bank Sampah Al-Bustaniyah.
Through cross-functional collaboration and the application of circular economy principles, she added, the company aims to build a more responsible work ecosystem, enhance Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) awareness internally, and create added value from waste into beneficial resources.
“We hope that through this initiative, public awareness of the importance of environmental preservation will increase further, thereby encouraging society to manage plastic waste more wisely,” she said.
Currently, PGN is also running an initiative for communities (such as Bajaj Gas), where plastic bottles are valued at Rp400 per bottle. Participants can exchange up to 61 bottles to obtain discount coupons for natural gas fuel (BBG) refills.
Meanwhile, Ikbal Alexander from Kertabumi Recycling Centre, as the programme’s facilitator, assessed PGN’s approach through education, sorting, collection, and processing of waste into valuable products as a positive step.
This effort, he continued, not only impacts the company’s environment but also increases public awareness of the importance of responsible waste management.
Citing data from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, he mentioned that unmanaged waste generation reaches 109 tonnes per day, or about 75% of total waste generation.
This triggers various environmental problems such as pollution, increased greenhouse gas emissions, and risks of ecosystem damage due to plastic waste accumulation.
This condition, he added, drives the need for collaboration and concrete actions in creating sustainable waste management.
“We see programmes like this as very important to help reduce plastic waste generation while promoting sustainable circular economy implementation through more responsible and beneficial waste management,” he said.