Environmental Sustainability and Public Health

 

Today, the Sustainable Municipal Solid Waste Management and Partnership (USAID SELARAS) was officially launched by the Indonesian government and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Waste management presents serious health and environmental problems, including plastic pollution of the oceans and other rivers, therefore both Indonesia and the US have a stake in finding solutions. Enhancing the quality of life for residents, reducing environmental harm, and promoting recycling will all help create a more sustainable future through better solid waste management and higher recycling rates.

With the goal of reducing land-based sources of ocean plastic pollution and methane—a strong greenhouse gas—USAID SELARAS is a five-year programme with a maximum funding of $24.7 million. It does this by encouraging sustainable and integrated solid waste management. Eighteen cities and districts in the provinces of North Sumatra, Banten, Central Java, East Java, East Kalimantan, Bali, and South Sulawesi would be covered by the new programme.

Mayors and regents from the 18 cities and districts signed a pledge to collaborate in order to address Indonesia's solid waste management issues during today's inaugural event. Along with representatives from other line ministries, the signing was observed by officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of National Development Planning (Bappenas). In order to promote a number of improvement goals, the proclamation requires the cities and districts to give solid waste management programmes and budgets top priority.

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According to Mohib Ahmed, Acting Mission Director of USAID Indonesia, "transforming solid waste management through an integrated upstream-downstream system is critical not only for the environment but also for the well-being of our communities." "In order to achieve a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable Indonesia, USAID will work with key institutions and stakeholders to strengthen governance, expand services, enhance plastic waste markets, improve community practices, and reduce methane emissions through this new programme."

In his remarks, Bappenas' Deputy of Infrastructure Ervan Maksum stated that "solid waste sector reform falls under the Social, Culture, and Ecology Security development agenda in the National Long Term Development Plan 2025-2045, to also address the importance of upstream solid waste management, not just downstream." "Positive social engineering can assist Indonesia in transitioning to a circular economy for environmental sustainability by promoting trash reduction and waste segregation behaviours and habits.”

The Ministry of Home Affairs' Director General of Regional Development, Restuardy Daud, said, "We call on all local governments, local parliaments, local planning agencies, and technical offices to work together to set up a good foundation for improved solid waste management in the new local Long Term and Medium Term Development Plan." "Strategic capacity building efforts for local decision makers in cities and districts will be established by the Ministry of Home Affairs in collaboration with other technical ministries."

The launch ceremony was followed by a dialogue session titled "Commitment to Action Towards Integrated Upstream-Downstream Solid Waste Management Reformation in Indonesia," which featured perspectives from Christiana Yuni, Governance and Finance Lead of USAID SELARAS, Ferdi Mochtar, Head of Makassar City's Environmental Agency, Christine Halim, Chairwoman of the Indonesian Plastic Recycling Association (ADUPI), and Ikhwan Hakim, Director of Housing and Settlement Areas at Bappenas. Alwis Rustam, Executive Director of the Association of the Indonesia Municipalities (APEKSI), chaired the discussion, which focused on waste management strategies, best practices, obstacles, and future directions.

Press Releases | July 9, 2024 | By U.S. Embassy Jakarta

Source https://id.usembassy.gov/