WasteX – Bina Tani Sejahtera

Investing in Impact

P4G awarded the partnership with US $458,000 in grant funding for a funding period from April 2024 – March 2026. 

WasteX transforms agricultural and animal waste into biochar that can be used by agricultural and livestock farms. This low carbon solution allows farmers to increase their incomes and improve their farms’ production by converting and utilizing waste that would otherwise be sold cheaply, dumped in landfills or burned. 

Biochar is a charcoal-like substance made by burning organic material from agricultural and forestry waste. When mixed with soil, it can improve crop yields, increase soil water retention and fertilizer effectiveness. It can also be used in animal bedding to reduce disease and be added as a feed supplement to livestock diets to improve animal health. 

WasteX has developed proprietary technology and equipment customized for use in farms in Southeast Asia. The technology allows the equipment to be smokeless and more energy efficient. 

WasteX has two revenue generation strategies: 1. Providing farms with WasteX equipment and training either through the outright sale (upfront or leasing) of the equipment or through a subscription model where WasteX provides the equipment for free and collects a fee over time through carbon credit proceeds. 2. Developing larger-scale facilities where WasteX operates a facility at a partner’s location. In this model, the partner provides the space and supply of waste, and participates in profit sharing. Additionally, the smallholders benefit in the area benefit from the biochar application. 

WasteX has provided its solution to farms and mills across Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand. During the grant period the startup sold and manufactured 18 units for clients in Indonesia. WasteX also developed five biochar production facilities. 

Almost 900 farmers applied biochar in their fields with treated plots showing a 50% increase in yield over control groups. The residual effect showed the benefits persisting over time with yield gains of 37%, 55% and 53% over three seasons regardless of weather patterns. The application also led to 10 – 15% reduction in fertilizer use during the three seasons. 

Product trials found that biochar application significantly increased the yield and profitability of seven varieties of fruits and vegetables: Bitter Gourd (133%), Cucumber (162%), Cauliflower (45 – 60%), Corn (45%). There was also significant increases in crops like rice and mung bean. As part of an analysis with a veterinary lab, WasteX found that, as a feed additive, its biochar has reduced chicken mortality rate by 25% and the presence of E.coli in manure by 99%. 

WasteX is a certified C-Sink Manager under the Global Artisan C-Sink standard. This enables the company to certify farms and facilitate carbon credits for them. 

To promote biochar knowledge among farmers, WasteX conducted a series of training sessions, farmer field days and expos all of which helped more than 3,000 individuals increase their understanding of the benefits of biochar. The ongoing focus on education and engagement helped WasteX distribute 355 tons of biochar to almost 800 farmers during the grant period. 

The company has always had the interests of farmers in mind. For instance, when it found that farmers were finding it challenging to transport more than 100 kg of biochar – the weight they can carry on their motorcycles – to their farms, it began helping them with delivery and transportation. 

Key achievements during the grant period

• US $700,000 investment raised
• 1,224 metric tons Co2 emissions avoided
• 355 tons biochar distributed
• 3,000 individuals empowered with greater climate resilience because of more understanding about biochar 

Key lessons learned

• Client-Centric Value Creation: User adoption hinges entirely on tangible benefits. WasteX restructured its business model to directly highlight financial returns (carbon credits) and agricultural improvements for farmers.
• Balancing Growth with R&D: Pushing for rapid sales before technology matures is risky. WasteX learned to strategically balance commercial growth targets with continuous product development to maintain competitiveness and client satisfaction.
• Lean Budget Management: Experiencing delayed revenues and slow fundraising cycles taught WasteX the necessity of lean operations. The startup implemented stricter budget controls to ensure sustainability throughout the lengthy product development and certification phases. 
• The Power of Partnerships: Scaling requires ecosystem support and WasteX actively collaborated with government agencies, NGOs and corporate partners to promote wider product adoption and establish credibility. 

Bina Tani Sejahtera supported WasteX with farmer outreach and training. The nonprofit also engaged with government stakeholders on regulatory interventions to help improve the biochar production market. As part of its efforts to strengthen the market environment for biochar, WasteX has engaged with the Ministry of Agriculture to implement biochar demonstration plots and deliver capacity building trainings to farmers in Central Java. WasteX is currently participating in a Government-to-Government capacity-building initiative by the embassy of Denmark that is focused on reducing food loss and waste in rice production and fisheries. 

WasteX participated in a series of discussions hosted by Bappenas and P4G on scaling food loss and waste reduction technologies in Indonesia. The ensuing conference proceeding, “Incentivizing Food Loss and Waste Technology in Indonesia” captures the solutions and interventions proposed by WasteX and others in the sector, and Bappenas is considering recommending biochar as a part of Indonesia’s waste valorization strategy. 

The partnership produced the following knowledge products during the P4G grant period:

1. White Paper: Biochar as a Solution for More Resilient Agriculture and Tackling Climate Change
2. Business Case Study and Model for WasteX Indonesia 

Key white paper recommendations and their potential impact: 

• National Biochar Standards and Certification Framework: Collaborate with Indonesian Standards Agency (BSN) to develop national standards for biochar quality, production and application. 
• Impact: Certified biochar would enable market development, farmer confidence, and entry into premium carbon credit programs.
• Integration into Government Agricultural Program: Develop budgeted program components within the Ministry of Agriculture’s Soil Rehabilitation Initiative and Food Security Program to include biochar production, distribution and farmer training for priority regions. Impact: Government budget allocation for biochar would enable distribution to smallholder farmers.
• Biochar Carbon Credits through National Registry: Develop and approve a Biochar Carbon Removal (BCR) methodology within Indonesia's National Registry System (SRN), enabling biochar projects to generate and register carbon credits. Impact: Carbon credit could be officially registered by 2030 and contribute to NDC targets. 
• Public-Private Partnership Framework for Scaling: Create a formal PPP framework enabling private biochar producers, NGOs and government agencies to collaborate with clear roles, responsibilities and benefit-sharing arrangements. Impact: Annual biochar production capacity could expand from 350 tons to 20,000 tons by 2030. 

The partnership comprised the following partners: WasteX (lead business partner); Bina Tani Sejahtera (lead administrative partner); Yayasan Agathis Dammara Karbon (biochar expert and training partner).