"Plastic waste is not just an environmental issue. It is a crisis that threatens our ecosystem, health and future,” he remarked at the World Environment Day expo and forum in Jakarta on Sunday.
“We must move forward with real, collective and collaborative action,” Nurofiq emphasized.
The call was in line with the theme of "Stop Plastic Pollution" for this year’s World Environment Day.
At the event, the government launched the latest version of the Program for Pollution Control, Evaluation and Rating (PROPER), which is a public disclosure program designed to improve corporate environmental governance and Adipura, an Indonesian award given to cities and regencies for their achievements in environmental management and cleanliness.
Such programs, according to the minister, are showing a signal that the government is not only targeting public awareness, but also structural reform in national environmental governance.
In his remarks, Nurofiq said that in 2023 alone, Indonesia produced 10.8 million tons of plastic waste, of which more than 6 million tons of it were not managed properly.
"Without serious intervention, by 2050 half of our waste will be plastic," he said.
To that end, the Environment Ministry has rolled out various strategic steps, including a gradual ban on single-use plastic until 2029, stopping plastic waste imports, strengthening the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policy and developing waste-to-energy facilities in 33 major cities.
The ministry will also impose strict sanctions on local governments that still carry out open dumping practices.
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Translator: Prisca Triferna Violleta, Yashinta Difa
Editor: Arie Novarina
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