RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The Indonesian government is accelerating the development of a waste-to-energy (WTE) facility in Banten Province, which is projected to process up to 4,000 tons of waste per day.

Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq said the project is a strategic step to address the waste emergency while also generating electricity.

“The construction of WTE facilities is a crucial component of downstream waste management. However, their success ultimately depends on effective upstream waste management,” Hanif said in a statement on Friday, March 27, 2026.

Two WTE facilities will be built in Jatiwaringin, Tangerang Regency, and Cilowong, Serang City, with a completion target of about three years. The project is funded by the state asset fund Daya Anagata Nusantara (Danantara Indonesia) as part of efforts to accelerate the development of energy-based waste management infrastructure.

Minister Hanif emphasized that community waste sorting is key to reducing processing costs. Without proper sorting, he said, the technology will not be optimal and could increase financial burdens.

“Regardless of the technology, the primary foundation is sorted waste. Otherwise, management costs will be high and could burden the community,” he said.

To support the project, the central government, the Banten Provincial Administration, and regency and city administrations in the Greater Serang area signed project documents, which will be submitted to Danantara Indonesia to initiate the bidding process.

The bidding is expected to take several months due to the scale of investment and its national scope.

Banten Governor Andra Soni said local administrations will use the construction period to strengthen education and public awareness campaigns on waste sorting. “We will continue to intensify massive public awareness campaigns on waste sortation,” he said.

The WTE facility will be developed as a regional waste management center under the Serang Raya agglomeration concept, covering Serang City, Serang Regency, and Cilegon City.

Through this project, the government aims to establish an integrated waste management system, encompassing source reduction and sorting, as well as the use of technology for energy generation. The initiative is designed to address waste management challenges sustainably. (Gusti Panji/Lasti Martina)