Since the early 1990s, the production of alternative fuels has become a quite popular waste management option in different countries. Solid Recover Fuel (SRF) is considered as a complementary intervention to preparing the residual waste stream for material recovery or disposal in landfills. The treatment processes that produce waste-derived fuels have been widely implemented in some countries.
This country situation report from Indonesia summarizes the policies and regulations in Indonesia, the petrochemical industry, the plastics industry, and plastics waste imports and exports, concluding with an analysis of the public and environmental burden and the challenges and steps needed to transition to a circular economy.
Jakarta, Indonesia More than 60 people from government, industry, and civil society participated today in a workshop launching a project aimed at eliminating lead in paint in Indonesia. This initiative is part of the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) project on global best practices for phasing out lead paint funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
Plastic Waste Poisons Indonesia's Food Chain reports on the high levels of dioxins being dumped into the environment and food networks as a result of plastic incineration — plastics which are being imported along with waste papers into Indonesia and other countries. Measured levels of dioxin in eggs rivals some of the worst polluted areas in human history.
This longer version of the report includes greater details on the measurements and methods used during the study.
The Indonesian government pushed back on an international study that found high levels of dioxin in a village where plastic is burned to produce tofu. Article by Richard C. Paddock, published in the New York Times, 19 December 2019.
Plastic waste from America, collected for recycling, is shipped to Indonesia. Some is burned as fuel by tofu makers, producing deadly chemicals and contaminating food.
Tropodo, Indonesia Black smoke billows from smokestacks towering above the village. The smell of burning plastic fills the air. Patches of black ash cover the ground. It’s another day of making tofu.
CIDAHU, Indonesia — Thousands of children with crippling birth defects. Half a million people poisoned. A toxic chemical found in the food supply. Accusations of a government cover-up and police officers on the take.
This is the legacy of Indonesia’s mercury trade, a business intertwined with the lucrative and illegal production of gold.
Jakarta, Indonesia The international waste trade watchdog organization Basel Action Network (BAN) together with Indonesian environmental organizations Ecoton, WALHI, and Nexus3 today in calling the waste import situation in Indonesia dire and "out-of-control" which can only be resolved by the Indonesian Government dealing more responsibly with the illegal shipments that have already arrived at their shores, while enacting a full prohibition on future imports.
