Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian government is committed to limiting imports of virgin plastic—new plastic materials made from fossil fuels such as petroleum and natural gas.

This commitment was conveyed by Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq during a press conference marking Biodiversity Day 2025 in Jakarta on Thursday.

He said that his ministry is pushing for the removal of tax incentives related to the petrochemical industry.

“We are also asking the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources to review and revoke these incentives, as this would help reduce plastic use,” Nurofiq said.

He expressed confidence that consistent and collective efforts to curb plastic production could encourage producers to adopt more environmentally friendly innovations.

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Environment announced plans to ban the import of plastic waste used as raw material in the recycling industry starting in January 2025.

Nurofiq also emphasized the need to expand the scope of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) by requiring producers to take full responsibility for the plastic waste generated by their products.

According to data from the National Waste Management Information System (SIPSN), plastic waste made up 19.71 percent of Indonesia’s total 33.98 million tons of national waste in 2024, based on reports from 315 districts and cities.

Plastic waste ranked second after food waste, which accounted for 39.28 percent of the total waste.

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Translator: Prisca Triferna, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Anton Santoso
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