In 2021 The ERIC DKTI project started the collaboration with six regional stakeholders: Bukit Tinggi, Bogor, Jambi, Cirebon, Malang, and Denpasar governments to embark on this issue. Engaging in this issue required careful consideration, more specifically considering that the waste sector was not a priority sector for most local governments. Recognizing this, the project commenced with an assessment of all six designated regions. The findings revealed that the basic problem concerning waste in the region was the absence of robust planning and the imprecise strategies in handling waste issues.
Critical Domains of Vulnerability
In accordance with the assessment findings, vulnerabilities were identified across all six regions, encompassing deficiencies in critical domains such as weak local waste planning, landfill overcapacity, technical shortcomings, regulatory gaps, institutional inadequacies, financial constraints, the imperative for heightened public awareness and participation, deficient facilities and infrastructure, and the absence of solid waste data for more effective policy making. Given the multifaceted nature of these domains, an approach to address the entirety of the issues can be sought with the formulation of a comprehensive waste management master plan. Unfortunately, the current waste master plan of all target regions did not reflect the needs and context changes of the city development.
Undeterred, the project kicked off its intervention by engaging in collaborative consultations with various stakeholders within the local governments. However, the process proved anything but straightforward. From the outset, the project grappled with a significant challenge—namely, the institutional structure and coordination among government agencies. Effectively addressing the waste issue demanded the active involvement of multiple agencies, underscoring the need for cross-agency. While the ideal solution would be to encapsulate such collaboration within a regional waste master plan, the substantive content of the current waste plans fell short of addressing this need.
Buy-in and governance challenges: unravelling the foundation for change
In the face of persistent challenges amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, the team displayed unshakable commitment and a laser-focused approach to key issues. The ERIC DKTI project progressed through a series of activities, transitioning from one stage to another to gain momentum. Continuous consultations drove the team to set essential targets in three crucial areas: 1) strengthening waste management planning through solid tools and pilot measures escalated to city-level policy, 2) reforming financing with a retribution calculator and adherence to the cost recovery and polluter pay principle, and 3) enhancing data quality in each city with advanced tools and systematic analysis.
Between 2021 to mid 2022, a pivotal milestone was reached with the establishment of cross-agency working teams in all regions. All target regions issued Mayor Decrees establishing this collaborative task force for handling waste issues that provided a foundation for the team to proceed the agenda. The team comprised personnel from various government units. Discussion, consultation, mentoring, and preparation for further agenda were subsequently implemented by the working team from that point in time. “Activities are hampered by schedule conflicts and activity loads that are the responsibility of each team member. Apart from that, another challenge is the changing of personnel to the assignment,” said one working team member from Bogor City. In this case, the decree provided stronger position with which the member can get more bargaining values from their agency.
As the collaborative efforts across units showed promise, the team embraced the next challenge: the enhancement of regional waste data quality. Recognizing that a robust waste management master plan hinges on a solid foundation of data quality, the team set out to rectify the shortcomings observed in old practices. It became evident that the utilization of basic data, encompassing crucial elements like waste generation and composition, waste transportation logistics, infrastructure facility, landfill capacity, employee statistics (both office and field-based), fuel consumption, and more, had been consistently overlooked by all regions. Despite a couple of regional governments possessing relevant data, the widespread neglect stemmed from its fragmented distribution across various units, hindering effective capture and management.
As 2022 arrived and the grip of COVID-19 lessened, the project capitalized on the improved conditions. Throughout the year, stakeholders were pushed to be more actively engaged to enhance their technical knowledge in areas such as waste data, greenhouse gas calculations, and waste balances and flows. Additionally, training of retribution calculators and income financing were provided alongside the implementation of pilot measures in diverse regions. The mentorship provided aimed not just as action but at purposefully enhancing the capabilities of local staff in evidence-based waste planning and policy skills. In 2023, mentoring activities experienced a surge, incorporating on-the-job training for working teams focused on waste management levy calculations. Concurrently, the collaborative team has made strides in advancing the preparation of new waste master plans of each region.
Coordination efforts were extended to involve the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), which played a consultative and monitoring role in overseeing the progress. The logical framework for Waste Management Master Plan has been developed to serves as a navigational tool, providing clear direction to the team. Subsequently, the working teams in all cities conducted data collection to serve as the foundational basis for the new master plan. In addition to this data collection, a visionary 20-year waste management policy concept was drafted. This, coupled with the results of the Pilot Measurements that provided additional information and lesson learned on TPS3R management capacity, community awareness strategy recommendation, and the way to introduce solid waste business chains, served as compelling evidence and added a clearer blueprint for how the new waste master plan will be crafted.
A triumph: new era for Waste Management Master Plan
The drafting of the new master plan continued since then. The process went through a participatory process that involved multi agencies. In the end, it resulted in the increased ownership of waste as a cross-cutting issue that will be outlined in the new regional master plan. “A significant difference used during the mentoring process is the frequent brainstorming, not only with the government environment unit but also involving cross agencies. For the waste problem, we must also consider suggestions and input from all relevant agencies,” as Merry Yelza, a member team and the functional environment officer of Bukit Tinggi said.
All six regional governments triumphed in crafting the Waste Management Master Plan by end of 2023, set to be enshrined in the regulations of regents or mayors. What sets this new master plan distinct are its transformative elements. First, it embraces evidence-based policy document process, a departure from the previous business as usual and the copy-paste approach over years. Secondly, the essence of collaboration and ownership across agencies permeates this revised master plan. By fostering a cross-unit team collaboration, the waste issue transcended individual silos and ascended to the meso level, transforming into a collective cross-unit concern. Thirdly, it stands as a good testament. RIPS embarks on its journey with a foundation in knowledge, conducting assessments that pinpoint areas of weakness. Consequently, the produced master plan encapsulates the core facets of the identified barriers or critical domains across regions. This marks not just a document, but a breathing roadmap for sustainable waste management.
“The concept used in the new RIPS provides detailed alternative locations and even alternatives for revitalizing existing landfills, and that is something that was not found in the old RIPS. Likewise, the concept of waste processing (methods and technology) has been presented clearly in the new RIPS. This is true as it begins with calculating valid waste composition data and even calculating more proportional levies,” said Tika M. Effendi, the Unit Head of Governance and Human Development Bogor District.
Link to Further Materials
Emission reductions through improved waste management infrastructures – giz.de
Contact Person
Makhdonal Anwar
Key Buzzwords
Waste Management Master Plan, waste management planning, integrated waste management
