Teguh Adi Prasetyo, Jakarta – Every afternoon around 4 p.m., a familiar and friendly jingle echoes through the narrow alleys of Neighborhood Unit (RT) 11/Community Unit (RW) 07 in Gandaria Utara, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta.
To local homemakers, the upbeat tune from the mobile cart acts as a natural alarm. It is not an ice cream vendor or snack seller arriving, but rather "Komling" short for Kompos Keliling (Mobile Composting).
Operating routinely without taking a day off, the officers cycle their door-to-door collection carts to collect organic food waste directly from residents' homes. This simple initiative from a quiet corner of the capital carries a major mission: untangling the complex web of Jakarta's looming food waste emergency.
The capital's dilemma: Mountains of food waste at Bantargebang
Data from the Jakarta Provincial Government shows that the capital produces around 9,059 tons of waste per day. Nearly half of this volume is organic waste, predominantly leftover food. Material characterization of waste sent to the Bantargebang Integrated Waste Processing Site (TPA) indicates that organic and food waste accounts for 49.87%, ranging between 4,300 and 4,500 tons daily, making it the single largest waste fraction, well ahead of plastic waste (22.95%).
Leaving organic waste to accumulate untreated at landfills leads to fatal consequences upstream. Methane gas emitted from decomposing organic matter not only severely pollutes the air, but also poses a grave risk of triggering landfill explosions and massive, long-burning fires that are extraordinarily difficult to extinguish.
The 'Bang Jali' movement and Komling mania
Refusing to sit idle while Bantargebang faces imminent overload, residents of RT 11 RW 07 Gandaria Utara decided to take matters into their own hands. Spearheaded by the local RT chairman, Imam Basori affectionately known as Ibas the Bang Jali (Bareng Jaga Lingkungan, or Together Protecting the Environment), the movement was born, with the Komling program serving as one of its flagship pillars.
"Our method in Komling is proactive door-to-door through the alleys. We pick up the residents' organic waste and process it within six hours," Ibas told the Jakarta Globe.
Every day, the Komling duty team collects around 5 to 10 liters of wet organic waste. Using a simple household composter, the team processes the waste within six hours, turning it into valuable organic fertilizer.
To keep the community engaged, especially children, the team wraps its educational outreach in interactive activities accompanied by the signature Komling Mania jingle.
"Downstream, Bantargebang is suffering from severe overload and overcapacity. We want to do our part by solving the waste problem right at the upstream level," Ibas added.
From kitchen back to the dining table: Circular economy at the grassroots level
The benefits of the Komling program are felt firsthand by local residents. Uun, a resident of RT 11, expressed her gratitude for the daily collection routine.
"Processing food leftovers like leftover rice, fruit scraps, or peels is so easy now because someone comes to collect them. With the daily Komling schedule, we no longer need to walk to the trash dump," Uun recently told the Jakarta Globe at her residence.
The compost produced by Komling is redistributed to residents to nourish chili, tomato, and cosmos plants, as well as decorative garden flora. This step not only cuts monthly fertilizer expenses, but also strengthens local food security and supports community fish farming (catfish, tilapia, and gourami). The harvest is enjoyed together during neighborhood block parties held every month and a half.
Early education: What children see, children do
Komling's presence has also cultivated positive habits among the younger generation. The adage "what children see, children do" shines through the behavior of Uun's child, Aal. Inspired by parental role models and the daily arrival of Komling, Aal now routinely sorts his own food scraps.
"Now my child is used to throwing trash in the proper place, especially separating organic from inorganic waste. He often tells me, 'Mom, save the leftovers for Komlenk! I want to throw it out," Uun shared proudly.
Regulatory perspective and central policy: A call for massive action
Government officials have echoed appreciation for community-led initiatives like the one in Gandaria Utara. Agus Rusli, Director of Waste Reduction and Circular Economy at the Ministry of Environment (KLH/BPLH), emphasized the critical importance of tackling waste directly at its source.
Under Jakarta Gubernatorial Instruction No. 5 of 2026 issued by the Acting Governor of Jakarta, residents are formally urged to sort household waste. Simple actions at the neighborhood level have proven capable of significantly cutting the volume of waste destined for landfills.
"By managing organic waste at home as done in Gandaria Utara, communities can reduce or prevent up to 50% of waste from entering or potentially entering the landfill," Agus Rusli explained to Jakarta Globe.
Agus noted that on a national level, Indonesia generates over 140,000 tons of waste daily. Early interventions in Jakarta have already reduced garbage truck trips to Bantargebang by up to 500 trips per day, demonstrating that behavioral shifts yield tangible results. Government policies continue to focus on reinforcing sorting ecosystems from cradle to grave, including equipping transport fleets with segregated compartments and integrating organic waste processing into refuse-derived fuel (RDF) briquettes.
Grassroots power, food rescue potential, and Jakarta's upstream-downstream solutions
The food waste crisis in Jakarta is far more than an urban cosmetic issue; it is a severe environmental threat. Morra Lovreza, Operations Manager at the food rescue organization Scholars of Sustenance (SOS), believes Jakarta's food waste emergency has grown increasingly alarming as soaring landfill heights trigger methane gas explosions and fires lasting for days. Amid these growing waste mountains, Morra sees a bright ray of hope in grassroots initiatives like Gandaria Utara's Komling program.
Morra noted that the primary hurdle in community waste management remains low waste literacy and a lack of sorting habits. However, grassroots leaders demonstrate that meaningful change is achievable when local figures step up to lead environmental preservation efforts, transforming organic waste into compost, eco-enzymes, and other valuable items. While innovative models like Bang Jali prove that wet waste can be managed at the source, such efforts remain far too rare across the city. Amplification from media, influencers, and community leaders is urgently needed to replicate these models throughout the capital.
The food waste issue also exposes a stark social irony. While tons of quality food are discarded daily from hotel buffets, restaurants, cafes, and large events due to consumer overordering, millions of citizens still struggle to meet basic nutritional needs. Surplus food perfectly edible and safe unconsumed food – holds immense potential to alleviate hunger through organized food rescue. Unfortunately, food producers often hesitate to donate due to misperceptions regarding brand risks, legal liability, food safety concerns, or operational inconvenience. Food banks maintain strict standard operating procedures to safely inspect and redistribute surplus meals to vulnerable communities.
Building a clean, sustainable Jakarta requires a twin-track approach that pairs food rescue with localized composting. On a household level, families can make a substantial impact by practicing meticulous meal planning preparing weekly menus and portioning ingredients before cooking and by practicing portion control at meals to avoid turning dinner plates into miniature trash bins. Within the broader ecosystem, surplus food from commercial kitchens can be safely redirected to those in need via food banks, while non-donatable scraps are picked up by neighborhood Komling carts to be processed into compost or eco-enzymes. By combining smart kitchen habits at home, F&B industry collaboration with food banks, and active mobile composting carts across every neighborhood, Jakarta's vision of a clean, green, and sustainable future can become a reality.
[This reporting was supported by the Indonesia Business Council for Sustainable Development (IBCSD) through the Jakarta Food Waste Media Fellowship as part of a campaign raising awareness on food loss and waste issues.]