Environment and Forestry Minister, Siti Nurbaya Bakar, has said that Indonesia plans to gradually phase out single-use plastic utensils and packaging by 2029, according to reporting by Antara News.
She said that the items to be phased out include polystyrene foam food packaging, single-use food utensils and plastic straws, plastic bags, multilayer packaging, and small-sized packaging.
“This measure aims to control waste that is hard to collect, has zero economic value, and is difficult to recycle. We also want to reduce the risk of contamination from packaging made of polyvinyl chloride and polystyrene,” Bakar said.
The government has set a national target of reducing waste by 30-percent and increasing the rate of waste handling to 70-percent by 2025, say Antara News.
Bakar said that her ministry is continuing to encourage regional governments to establish policies and strategies for waste management from its source to the final processing step and that the government has enacted several laws and regulations to regulate waste management.
These include Law No. 18 of 2008 on Waste Management, Government Regulation No. 81 of 2012 on Household Waste Management, and Government Regulation No. 27 of 2020 on Specific Waste Management, report Antara News.
The government has also issued derivative regulations that govern all phases of waste management for producers, the general public, and regional governments.
According to Antara News, Bakar said that the government is working with producers to reduce waste from product packaging in the manufacturing, retail, and food and beverage sectors who are required to reduce waste from product packaging by 30-percent in 2029 through the reduce, reuse, and recycle approach, which is in line with the goal of encouraging the development of sustainable businesses and a circular economy in Indonesia.
Source: Antara News
