Denpasar, 23 May 2023: When the Sekar Tanjung Reduce, Reuse, Recycle waste management facility (TPS3R) was set up in Sanur Kauh ward in 2017, many residents refused to segregate their waste, which is a requirement of the waste collection service. They felt it was a double burden as they were already paying for the service.
‘We started visiting houses to educate people as to why they needed to segregate their waste. We distributed trash bins and showed how to do the segregation,’ said Ms Made Diatmita Puri, a member of the facility's administration staff, during a visit by ERIA’s Expert Working Group on Marine Plastic Debris.
The ward administration assisted the process by enforcing a regulation obliging every household to segregate waste, otherwise it would not be collected. These efforts worked and residents have since sorted their waste accordingly.
The 2,000-square meter facility, established by the Bali Public Housing and Public Works Office in collaboration with the Sanur Kauh Ward Administration, initially served only 40 households who paid a meagre Rp15,000 fee per month (about US$1 in 2023). Today, the facility provides a waste collection service for 505 households in four wards, not just Sanur Kauh, as well as three hotels and one government construction project. Each household now pays a monthly fee of Rp50,000 (US$3.4 in 2023), while the hotels and government project are charged a higher fee.
The waste is collected by a fleet of seven cargo bikes, each of which can transport up to 700 kilograms of waste. The facility employs 16 people working in two shifts from Monday to Saturday.
‘Here we only process dry waste using waste shredders and compost sieves. The wet waste is immediately transferred to local pig farms once it reaches this facility to avoid the smell and complaints from neighbours,’ said Mr Sila Dharma, the TPS3R manager.
Rethinking Recycling Programme
The TPS3R earns its income from selling compost and recyclable items, in addition to the household service fee. However, about 30% of the households do not pay the monthly fee on time, said Mr Sila.
‘It is hardly a profitable operation, but we always emphasise that what we do benefits the environment,’ he said.
The facility does receive external assistance from time to time, such as from McKinsey’s Delterra Rethinking Recycling programme. The Bali-based foundation collaborated with the Packaging and Recycling Association for Indonesia Sustainable Environment (PRAISE), an industry association that actively supports the holistic, integrated, and sustainable management of packaging waste in Indonesia.
TPS3R Sekar Tanjung was the pilot project for the collaboration in 2019, aiming to strengthen the waste recycling ecosystem to become an economic opportunity for the Sanur Kauh community.
‘Together we supported households in building new recycling behaviours, optimised collection and sorting operations, integrated independent local waste collectors, and upskilled workers and community members,’ said Ms Tika Diagnestya, Senior Associate at Delterra.
In less than four months, the TPS3R went from losing money to being profitable and financially self-sustaining, said Ms Tika. Waste going to the landfill has also been reduced by around 50%, according to PRAISE data.
‘In 2020, we launched the Rethinking Recycling Academy in six villages in Denpasar, which are now in the implementation phase and on track to bring recycling services to 125,000 people by the end of 2022,’ she said.
The facility now earns Rp6 million to Rp8 million a month (about US$400-US$540 in 2023), said Mr Sila, which is sufficient to continue operations.
‘We continue to do house visits, educating and monitoring people in regard to waste segregation,’ he said.
Today, Sanur Kauh serves as a demonstration and learning site for the Rethinking Recycling Academy, an initiative designed to catalyse the transformation of waste management systems in multiple communities at once. The Sanur Kauh TPS3R has been celebrated by Indonesian government ministries and heralded as the gold standard for community-driven waste management.
Also read: Operating with PPP Scheme, Integrated Waste Management Facility in Bali Turning Waste to Energy
Communications Expert
Denpasar, 23 May 2023: When the Sekar Tanjung Reduce, Reuse, Recycle waste management facility (TPS3R) was set up in Sanur Kauh ward in 2017, many residents refused to segregate their waste, which is a requirement of the waste collection service. They felt it was a double burden as they were already paying for the service.
‘We started visiting houses to educate people as to why they needed to segregate their waste. We distributed trash bins and showed how to do the segregation,’ said Ms Made Diatmita Puri, a member of the facility's administration staff, during a visit by ERIA’s Expert Working Group on Marine Plastic Debris.
The ward administration assisted the process by enforcing a regulation obliging every household to segregate waste, otherwise it would not be collected. These efforts worked and residents have since sorted their waste accordingly.
The 2,000-square meter facility, established by the Bali Public Housing and Public Works Office in collaboration with the Sanur Kauh Ward Administration, initially served only 40 households who paid a meagre Rp15,000 fee per month (about US$1 in 2023). Today, the facility provides a waste collection service for 505 households in four wards, not just Sanur Kauh, as well as three hotels and one government construction project. Each household now pays a monthly fee of Rp50,000 (US$3.4 in 2023), while the hotels and government project are charged a higher fee.
The waste is collected by a fleet of seven cargo bikes, each of which can transport up to 700 kilograms of waste. The facility employs 16 people working in two shifts from Monday to Saturday.
‘Here we only process dry waste using waste shredders and compost sieves. The wet waste is immediately transferred to local pig farms once it reaches this facility to avoid the smell and complaints from neighbours,’ said Mr Sila Dharma, the TPS3R manager.
Rethinking Recycling Programme
The TPS3R earns its income from selling compost and recyclable items, in addition to the household service fee. However, about 30% of the households do not pay the monthly fee on time, said Mr Sila.
‘It is hardly a profitable operation, but we always emphasise that what we do benefits the environment,’ he said.
The facility does receive external assistance from time to time, such as from McKinsey’s Delterra Rethinking Recycling programme. The Bali-based foundation collaborated with the Packaging and Recycling Association for Indonesia Sustainable Environment (PRAISE), an industry association that actively supports the holistic, integrated, and sustainable management of packaging waste in Indonesia.
TPS3R Sekar Tanjung was the pilot project for the collaboration in 2019, aiming to strengthen the waste recycling ecosystem to become an economic opportunity for the Sanur Kauh community.
‘Together we supported households in building new recycling behaviours, optimised collection and sorting operations, integrated independent local waste collectors, and upskilled workers and community members,’ said Ms Tika Diagnestya, Senior Associate at Delterra.
In less than four months, the TPS3R went from losing money to being profitable and financially self-sustaining, said Ms Tika. Waste going to the landfill has also been reduced by around 50%, according to PRAISE data.
‘In 2020, we launched the Rethinking Recycling Academy in six villages in Denpasar, which are now in the implementation phase and on track to bring recycling services to 125,000 people by the end of 2022,’ she said.
The facility now earns Rp6 million to Rp8 million a month (about US$400-US$540 in 2023), said Mr Sila, which is sufficient to continue operations.
‘We continue to do house visits, educating and monitoring people in regard to waste segregation,’ he said.
Today, Sanur Kauh serves as a demonstration and learning site for the Rethinking Recycling Academy, an initiative designed to catalyse the transformation of waste management systems in multiple communities at once. The Sanur Kauh TPS3R has been celebrated by Indonesian government ministries and heralded as the gold standard for community-driven waste management.
Also read: Operating with PPP Scheme, Integrated Waste Management Facility in Bali Turning Waste to Energy
Communications Expert
