Irsyan Hasyim, Jakarta – Indonesia's leading environmental organization, the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), has rejected the government's plan to accelerate the construction of Waste-to-Energy Power Plants, known locally as PSEL.
Walhi argues that the policy does not solve Indonesia's waste crisis and instead reflects the state's failure to build a sustainable, fair, and public-oriented waste management system.
The government is currently fast-tracking PSEL development under Presidential Regulation No. 109 of 2025, which mandates 100 percent waste management by 2029.
The policy is overseen by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry and the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment, with support from the State Secretariat.
PSEL has also been designated as part of 18 national strategic downstream projects, with groundbreaking targeted for March 2026.
The government promotes the plants as a rapid solution to mounting waste problems in 34 cities and regencies, while branding them as sources of renewable energy and green investment.
Concerns over policy direction and governance
Walhi's Urban Justice Campaign Manager, Wahyu Eka Styawan, said the acceleration reflects a policy approach that favors large-scale, centralized technological solutions while sidelining environmental, public health, and long-term fiscal considerations.
According to Wahyu, pushing PSEL projects without meaningful public participation or comprehensive technical studies risks repeating the failures of previous government acceleration programs.
"Designating PSEL as a national strategic project and rushing its implementation risks sidelining the core priorities of waste management," Wahyu told Tempo on Thursday, January 8, 2025.
"These priorities include waste reduction at the source, strengthening 3R facilities, and community-based waste management."
He stressed that PSEL is not merely a technical issue, but a matter of public policy governance and state accountability.
Legal, financial, and environmental risks
Walhi's rapid assessment suggests that Presidential Regulation No. 109 of 2025 conflicts with Indonesia's Waste Management Law No. 18 of 2008.
The group argues that the regulation promotes expensive incinerator-based technology that carries high fiscal risks and relies on indirect subsidies through the state budget and the national electricity company.
From a technical and ecological perspective, Wahyu said PSEL is poorly suited to Indonesia's waste profile, which is dominated by low-calorific organic waste mixed with soil, glass, metal, and hazardous materials. This composition, he warned, could incentivize continued waste accumulation, generate toxic byproducts, and worsen water pollution.
"The energy contribution from PSEL is minimal and does not justify the long-term financial burden or the social, health, and environmental risks that communities will bear," Wahyu said.
Public service or business project?
Walhi also criticized the involvement of investment entities such as the state investment management agency Danantara in PSEL development, arguing that waste management should be treated as a public service rather than a profit-driven business.
Instead, the organization urged the government to prioritize systemic reforms, including waste reduction at the source, restrictions on single-use products, implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), waste sorting, and the expansion of community-based organic waste management.
Walhi said such approaches have proven to be more cost-effective, environmentally sustainable, and socially inclusive.
Walhi has called on the government to halt the acceleration of PSEL projects and to review Presidential Regulation No. 109 of 2025.
The group said any waste management policy must comply with the mandate of Law No. 18 of 2008, which emphasizes comprehensive waste handling from source to disposal and prioritizes the principles of Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle (3R).
Without such a shift, Walhi warned, Indonesia risks locking itself into costly and environmentally harmful solutions that fail to address the root causes of its waste crisis.