Jakarta (WNAM MONITORING): Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan has said that technology can be used to process waste into new and renewable energy as well as for coal blending.
Speaking at a press conference here on Thursday, Hasan said many developed countries are offering partnerships in using technology for waste processing.
“Nowadays, there is a lot of technology available. Some waste can be processed to produce energy, and some can be made for coal blending. We can now use technology, and many countries are willing to cooperate in this regard,” he said.
To support waste processing, he said, policies are needed to ease the handling of waste problems.
Indonesia has several presidential regulations (Perpres) that concern waste issues.
They include Perpres No. 97 of 2017 on the national policy and strategy for household waste management, Perpres No. 35 of 2018 on the acceleration of waste processing facilities that turn waste into environment-friendly power, and Perpres No. 83 of 2018 on marine waste management.
However, the validity periods of the three presidential regulations have expired. Therefore, he said he will form a team to devise new policies to support waste processing.
“I will form a team, bringing everything together. It is hoped that it will make it easier for us to take steps to quickly address this waste problem,” he added.
Hasan also reminded that the problem of waste must be addressed jointly at the level of the central government, local governments, and even households.
Through mass education, public awareness on waste issues can be increased, he added.
