In line with the implementation of priority programs, such as the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG), the issues of waste management and environmental sanitation have become a key focus for President Prabowo in recent weeks, driven through the Indonesia ASRI (Safe, Healthy, Clean, and Beautiful) movement.
"Indonesia must be bold in improving every field and sector, including the cleanliness of every village, sub-district, district, city, provincial capital, and the national capital," he asserted at the Indonesia Economic Outlook 2026 forum in Jakarta on Friday.
The president expressed gratitude to several domestic universities currently developing micro-scale waste processing technologies, which are planned to be adopted for managing domestic waste at the village level.
"I am grateful that several of our higher education institutions have developed recycling tools and eco-friendly waste disposal equipment that are non-destructive and odorless, sufficient for small-scale processing," Prabowo stated.
He expressed hope that the equipment can be deployed to every village and sub-district by 2026 so that waste can be managed at the most local level.
For the large-scale waste processing, he affirmed that the Indonesian government is initiating the waste-to-energy (WtE) plant projects in a number of regions, carried out by the sovereign wealth fund Danantara Indonesia and regional governments.
Earlier, Higher Education, Science, and Technology Minister Brian Yuliarto presented the development of micro-scale waste processing technologies pioneered by universities to President Prabowo during a meeting on Wednesday.
He explained that the ministry will expedite the development phases, including testing these technologies, so that micro-scale waste processing can be implemented soon. These trials are targeted for several villages within this year.
Some of these technologies utilize gasification, plasma-assisted methods, and cold plasma reactors.
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Translator: Genta T, Andi F, Raka Adji
Editor: Primayanti
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