Plastics in Circles - Smart Waste Collective

Investing in Impact

P4G has provided this partnership with US $546,004 in catalytic grant funding.    

Smart Waste Collective implemented a new innovative waste collection model, with source segregated waste collection points throughout the community and a compactor truck, which significantly reduces collection costs. The partnership established 5 collection points, providing 2,000 households with better waste collection services and raising awareness around behavior change to source segregate their waste. The partnership trained 4 collectors and 5 quality checkers at the collection points and collected 78 tons of waste between August to October 2023.  

It also implemented a best-practice waste sorting facility, with a semi-mechanized process that could process 12 tons per shift. The partnership hired and trained 18 waste sorters and processers and one Material Recycling Facility supervisor. The facility prevented 103,35 tons of waste from going to landfill from June to October 2023. Across the waste handling activities, the workers are trained in professional waste handling, including high standards of safety and hygiene, which increases the capabilities of the local waste ecosystem.

The Smart Waste Collective partnership showcases a best practice waste handling model that is operationally feasible and economically sustainable. It improves the working conditions and the resource and economic efficiency of waste handling, therefore setting an example of what is needed in terms of economic and legislative measures to make the waste system work. In particular, the waste collection model reduces waste collection costs significantly and the implemented semi-mechanized waste sorting process improves sorting efficiency. Based on this model, the Ambon City government can now replicate these centers and collection points and establish the right policies to support replication.

The partnership has secured future funding to use lessons learned from the Ambon model to implement waste sorting and recycling facilities in other regions across Indonesia.

Learn more about the partnership’s impact on the local community in this video.

This partnership is part of the Indonesian-Dutch Plastics in Circles consortium led by MVO Nederland, in cooperation with the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management and the Netherlands Embassy in Jakarta.