Environmental nonprofit calls for partnerships and aggressive action to tackle the climate and waste crisis, aspiring to bring recycling and waste management services to 2.5 million people.
On November 3rd, 2022, as part of the Road to G20 events under the Indonesian presidency, Delterra, Minderoo Foundation and WWF-Indonesia, through the Plastic Smart Cities Initiative, announced an ambitious pledge to tackle waste in Badung Regency, Southern Bali. Augmenting successful pilots in Denpasar over the past two years, the consortium will help to scale ongoing efforts to reduce plastic leakage in nature.
PLASTIC WASTE MANAGEMENT IN INDONESIA
The program aspires to bring recycling and waste management services to 2.5 million people, starting with 600,000 people in the Badung regency over the next three years. The consortium, through Delterra, has already set things in motion by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Regency of Badung. Creating a circular economy in Bali will create positive local and global environmental impacts, with ripple effects that benefit human health, livelihoods, and the economy.
“The Indonesian government is committed in improving the effectiveness of our waste management so that we can reduce waste leakage into the sea by 70% in 2025. This policy will contribute to achieving the net zero emission target by 2060 or even sooner. Collaboration is a key pillar in reaching this goal and I support the collaborative efforts between the Bali government and Delterra in transforming waste management, starting with Badung, and eventually expanding towards a circular economy in Indonesia,” said Dr. Ir. Nani Hendiarti, Deputy Coordinating Minister for Environment and Forestry Management, Coordinating Ministry for Investment and Marine Affairs.
This announcement came during the Road to the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Bali, when the spotlight on creating a better and more sustainable future is brighter than ever. In the capacity of Knowledge Partner, Delterra is supporting the Government of Indonesia’s ambitions to stop waste and plastic pollution.
Understanding that tackling the climate crisis cannot be done without also confronting the waste crisis, Shannon Bouton, President & CEO of Delterra, said, “solving the challenges facing our planet and its people requires a systemic and scalable approach, and that is what Delterra specialises in.”
“Impactful partnerships are critical to orchestrating this transformation, and we are thrilled to welcome Minderoo Foundation and WWF-Indonesia as consortium partners, effectively joining forces for this ambitious scaling solution,” Bouton continued.
With this pledge, Delterra and its consortium of partners are committed to transforming the entire waste management and recycling system. The multi-stakeholder coalition believes that real and lasting change is possible by strengthening new markets that connect the supply of recycled materials with demand from corporate buyers.
“Minderoo Foundation invests in and incubates solutions that prevent plastic leakage from entering the environment and our bodies. Our vision is a world of no plastic waste, made possible by a thriving circular plastics economy, where safety is a priority in how plastics are produced, used, and responsibly recycled. This is why we are delighted to be working with Delterra, who have already demonstrated the impacts of their approach for an environmentally, economically and socially sustainable community-owned system,” said Tony Worby, Director of Planet Portfolio & Flourishing Oceans at Minderoo Foundation.
SCALING COMMUNITY WASTE SOLUTIONS BY IMPROVING MATERIAL RECOVERY FACILITIES (MRFS)
The Rethinking Recycling Academy, a Delterra initiative, partners with villages in Indonesia to transform their Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs), known locally as TPS3Rs, by working closely with government officials, waste collectors, local implementation partners and multinational industry players. The Academy provides digital capability-building programs coupled with up-front capital and on-the-ground implementation support, which helps cities and communities build recycling ecosystems and put more waste back into productive use while improving jobs and quality of life.
In Ubung Kaja (Denpasar, Bali), Plastic Smart Cities through WWF-Indonesia supported Delterra in revitalising the local TPS3R. By helping a previously neglected waste facility to become well-managed, one of the aims is to strengthen financial viability, which is not only key for sustaining waste management services for the community but would also lead to increased profit share among waste collectors.
In this project cycle, the initiative trained at least 20 people to improve the MRF’s operations. Out of 2333 tons of waste, around 224 tons of recyclable waste and 980 tons of organic waste were diverted from the landfill.
The success of Ubung Kaja and other local pilots would now be scaled to a larger area in the Badung Regency, which covers Bali’s most tourism-heavy areas.
Aditya Bayunanda, CEO of WWF-Indonesia, said, “Plastic doesn’t belong in nature. But keeping it out of our ecosystems and within a circular economy is a complex challenge that requires a holistic approach to managing all types of waste. We look forward to our fruitful partnership with Delterra in Denpasar, and are excited to expand our work and impact together.”
WWF’s No Plastic in Nature initiative supports work across the life cycle of plastic to increase the reuse and reduction of plastic already in circulation and eliminate the leakage of plastic into nature. Plastic Smart Cities is a part of this initiative and supports an integrated waste management approach, building on efforts led by partner communities, businesses, and scalable initiatives such as Delterra’s Rethinking Recycling Academy program.
