Indonesia’s waste-to-energy plan aims to convert landfill waste into electrical energy through large-scale incineration plants across Indonesia’s major metropolitan areas. Indonesia produces an annual total of approximately 7.8 million tons of plastic waste, with approximately 4.9 million tons of that plastic waste being disposed of improperly and leaking into landfills/rivers/oceans, according to the World Bank’s Indonesia Marine Debris Report (2021).

Indonesia’s contribution to marine plastic pollution establishes the country as one of the largest global contributors to marine plastic pollution. This phenomenon is mainly attributed to rapid urbanization, the underdevelopment of waste segregation systems, and an over-reliance on single-use plastics. Research has begun to indicate the possible failings of this approach in addressing Indonesia’s plastic crisis and has begun to create new environmental and human health issues rather than resolving the original crisis.

What Is the Waste-to-Energy Plan in Indonesia?

Indonesia’s waste-to-energy plan is a policy initiative in the nation to create, through incineration, a renewable source of power (electricity) by constructing incinerating-type power plants to convert municipal solid waste into a usable form of energy. Under Presidential Regulation Numbered 109/2025, Indonesia plans to develop a network of WtE facilities in 33 cities, building on previous trial runs in Solo and Surabaya.

The overarching theme of the plan is to use waste products as fuel, specifically plastic, meaning that the WtE plants will require a continued stream of high-calorific waste fuels, specifically plastic fuels, which could produce unintended consequences, such as creating large volumes of plastic as new products are introduced.

Also Read: Turning Plastic Waste Into Fuel: A Game-Changer In Today’s Global Energy Crisis

Why Is the Government Promoting This Strategy?

The policy is presented as a circular economy strategy, which has three key objectives:

• Reducing the pressure on landfills in big cities
• Producing power from non-fossil energy
• Solving the problem of municipal solid waste disposal

Advocates have contended that modern incineration technology could cut down waste volume by 80-90%, according to reports from the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Nevertheless, critics have countered that this would not solve problems of toxic emissions or microplastics.

Also Read: Agriculture Waste Management: Turning Farm Waste Into Bioenergy

What Are the Environmental and Health Implications?

While Indonesia’s waste-to-energy plan promotes itself as a green energy initiative, there are several significant environmental problems associated with it:

• PM2.5 (fine particulate matter) emissions contribute to heart and lung diseases
• Dioxin and heavy metal emissions from burning plastics
• Ash production that requires dangerous disposal
• Soil and water systems pollution

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the risk of developing heart and lung diseases increases drastically when the annual average PM2.5 concentration exceeds 5 µg/m³.

Indonesia’s earliest WtE facilities have already demonstrated alarming pollution levels well beyond acceptable parameters, which is especially concerning because prolonged exposure can pose significant risks to local populations.

Also Read: Explosives And Military Waste: Hidden Environmental Costs Of War

Field Evidence from Solo and Surabaya

The pilot implementations of Putri Cempo in Solo and Benowo in Surabaya can be considered real-life examples illustrating how Indonesia’s waste-to-energy plan functions.

Main conclusions from field surveys:

• People living near facilities complain about coughing, trouble breathing, and skin rashes
• The concentration of PM2.5 and PM10 near Benowo was recorded at 8 times the World Health Organization’s acceptable level
• Runoff from garbage has been associated with the pollution of local river basins
• Incineration has led to diminished prospects for informal garbage pickers

Also Read: Industrial Waste Pollution: Hidden Environmental Costs Of Manufacturing

The Recommendations from Experts and Studies

Studies from environmental groups like the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP)  show that incineration is considered one of the worst choices within the waste hierarchy framework in comparison with reduction, reuse, and recycling.

Likewise, findings warn that excessive dependence on WtE may result in entrenchment in waste production rather than reducing plastic at the source.

Key recommendations from the experts include:

• Plastic reduction at the source
• Recycling and segregation practices
• Empowering informal waste collectors
• Implementing extended producer responsibility (EPR) legislation

Also Read: Smart Waste Management Systems Transforming Modern Cities

Is Waste-to-Energy Plan the Right Path Forward?

Indonesia’s waste-to-energy plan suggests an answer to the growing problem of plastic waste, yet pilot studies conducted in Indonesia, along with other global studies, point to a different conclusion. While the incineration of waste may not create environmental pollution in the same way it did in the past, it may shift the environmental burden from landfilling to harm to air and water quality, as well as to vulnerable communities residing near incineration plants in Indonesia.

Indonesia may find that the only way to create a sustainable future is through prevention, the investment in recycling infrastructure, and systemic changes in the manner in which products and services are produced and consumed, rather than relying mainly on the use of incineration technology.

Also Read: Plastic Waste is Causing Climate Change. Here’s How.

FAQs

1. What is the waste-to-energy plan in Indonesia?

This is a project by the Indonesian government that will use incineration facilities to convert municipal waste, particularly plastics, into energy in many urban centers.

2. How environmentally friendly is waste-to-energy?

Though it minimizes the amount of waste, it emits pollutants such as PM2.5, dioxins, and hazardous ash.

3. What is the alternative to waste-to-energy?

The best solution to this problem is to minimize plastic production and embrace zero-waste management strategies.

Also Read: Unchecked Plastic Pollution Could More Than Double By 2039, Pew Finds