‘Indonesia should prioritize organic waste reduction’
New assessment stresses need for climate-smart approach to Indonesia’s landfill crises
BANDUNG, Indonesia (MNTV) — Composting organic waste and implementing decentralized zero waste strategies could enable Indonesia to meet its climate targets in the municipal solid waste sector while addressing its escalating landfill crisis, according to an assessment by Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA).
It says that focusing on source separation, separate waste collection and decentralized organic waste treatment — such as composting, biodigesters, and Black Soldier Fly (BSF) farming — offers the most effective, inclusive, and climate-smart approach to reduce methane emissions.
Indonesia generates over 32 million tonnes of waste annually, with more than 50% made up of organic materials like food and garden waste.
Methane from this unmanaged organic waste accounts for 56% of Indonesia’s total methane emissions, making waste the country’s largest methane-emitting sector.
Indonesia’s current climate strategy leans heavily on costly, polluting end-of-pipe technologies such as Waste-to-Energy (WTE) incineration and Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF), which are poorly suited to Indonesia’s wet waste and risk shifting methane to long-lived carbon dioxide emissions, says the report titled “Ramping Up Ambitions on Waste Methane and Just Transition in Indonesia”.
“Indonesia’s Second NDC (Nationally Determined Contribution) represents a pivotal moment to shift away from emission‑intensive, highly expensive, downstream-focused technologies —particularly WtE incineration, RDFs and landfill gas capture— that only switches methane emissions to carbon dioxide, undermining long-term climate goals,” says Yobel Novian Putra, Global Climate Policy Officer of GAIA.
“Instead, the Government of Indonesia should harness the untapped potential of food loss and waste prevention and organic waste treatment.”
He adds that by prioritizing solutions that follow the waste hierarchy, Indonesia can cut landfill methane by over 90%.
“It can unlock vital international and domestic finance to drive implementation and curb waste methane fast.”
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