Empowering Bandung Communities to Manage Waste

BumiIndonesia generated 36 million tons of waste in 2022, with food waste (organic) constituting a significant 40.5%. The dominance of food waste is problematic given our reliance on the mobilization of residual waste through Open Dumping to Landfill methods. The mixing of organic and inorganic waste in landfills increases the concentration of methane gas within the waste pile.

History has shown the dangers of unmanaged waste and over-reliance on a single waste disposal method. The explosion of the Leuwigajah Cimahi landfill in 2005, which claimed 157 lives, is a testament to this.

More than a decade later, a similar incident occurred. A fire broke out at the Sarimukti landfill on Saturday, August 19, 2023. This final disposal site for waste receives approximately 2,000 tons of waste per day from the Greater Bandung area. Furthermore, a similar situation occurred in the Special Region of Yogyakarta, where the government officially closed the Piyungan Landfill permanently starting in April 2024. Despite technically reaching its end-of-life in 2012, it was forced to accommodate 500-600 tons per day.

Intervention Program for Unmanaged Organic Waste

This situation has prompted Askara Nusantara to initiate a community-based organic waste bioconversion program called "Sayembara Aksi Jaga Bumi" (Earth Conservation Action Competition).

This program intervenes through the following:

• Workshops on waste management and circular economy
• Training and technical assistance for bioconversion waste processing using maggot (Black Soldier Fly) and composting methods
• Grants for communal-scale bioconversion waste processing facilities
• Continuous competitions and practices for communal-scale waste processing. Operational incentives and mentoring for the best-performing teams.

Implementation Period : January - June 2024