Jakstranas: Indonesia's National Waste Management Roadmap 2017-2025

Indonesia's waste management challenges demand coordinated, long-term strategic planning across all levels of government. Recognizing this imperative, the Indonesian government established Jakstranas—the National Policy and Strategy for Household Waste and Similar Waste Reduction and Handling—through Presidential Regulation No. 97 of 2017 (PERPRES 97/2017). This regulatory framework represents Indonesia's most comprehensive blueprint for achieving systematic waste reduction and proper waste handling at national scale. The Jakstranas sets explicit quantitative targets, establishes implementation timelines, and creates a hierarchical cascade mechanism ensuring policy coherence from national ministries down to district and municipal governments.

Jakstranas functions as more than a policy document; it constitutes a binding regulatory commitment that operationalizes the waste management principles established in Law No. 18 of 2008 on Waste Management. While UU 18/2008 created the legal foundation for Indonesia's waste management system, Jakstranas translates these foundational principles into concrete targets, specific strategies, and measurable indicators spanning an eight-year implementation period from 2017 to 2025. This article provides a comprehensive analysis of Jakstranas, examining its legal foundation, core objectives, reduction and handling strategies, extended producer responsibility integration, hierarchical implementation cascade, and monitoring framework.

Legal Foundation and Regulatory Mandate

Jakstranas derives its authority from Law No. 18 of 2008 on Waste Management, which established the legal requirement for comprehensive national waste management planning. Article 6 of UU 18/2008 explicitly mandates that the central government develop national policies and strategies for waste management, stating: "Pemerintah menyusun kebijakan dan strategi nasional pengelolaan sampah" (The Government shall formulate national policies and strategies for waste management). This constitutional mandate was further elaborated in Government Regulation No. 81 of 2012 on Management of Household Waste and Similar Waste, which specified implementation requirements for national waste management policies.

The regulatory hierarchy placing Jakstranas within Indonesia's waste management legal framework reflects a deliberate design: UU 18/2008 establishes foundational principles and obligations, PP 81/2012 provides detailed implementation mechanisms, and PERPRES 97/2017 sets specific targets and timelines. This cascading regulatory structure ensures that abstract legal principles translate into actionable government programs with clear accountability mechanisms. Presidential regulations (Perpres) carry significant legal weight in Indonesia's administrative law system, binding all ministries, provincial governments, and local governments to implement the strategies and achieve the targets established in Jakstranas.

PERPRES 97/2017 was issued on December 28, 2017, establishing an eight-year implementation period running through December 31, 2025. The regulation explicitly acknowledges that Indonesia faces mounting waste management challenges driven by population growth, urbanization, changing consumption patterns, and insufficient waste management infrastructure. These considerations informed the regulation's ambitious yet achievable targets, which aim to fundamentally transform Indonesia's approach to waste from end-of-pipe disposal toward source reduction, reuse, recycling, and circular economy principles.

Defining Jakstranas: Scope and Core Concepts

Article 1 of PERPRES 97/2017 provides the formal definition of Jakstranas as: "arah kebijakan dan strategi dalam pengurangan dan penanganan Sampah Rumah Tangga dan Sampah Sejenis Sampah Rumah Tangga tingkat nasional yang terpadu dan berkelanjutan" (the policy direction and strategy for reduction and handling of Household Waste and Similar Household Waste at the national level that is integrated and sustainable). This definition contains several critical elements that define Jakstranas's scope and approach.

First, Jakstranas explicitly addresses both "pengurangan" (reduction) and "penanganan" (handling) of waste. This dual focus reflects the waste management hierarchy established in UU 18/2008, which prioritizes source reduction, reuse, and recycling before disposal. By structuring national strategy around these two complementary approaches, Jakstranas embeds waste hierarchy principles into Indonesia's governance framework. Reduction activities occur primarily at waste sources—households, commercial establishments, institutions—while handling activities encompass collection, transportation, processing, and final disposal through integrated waste management systems.

Second, Jakstranas specifically targets "Sampah Rumah Tangga dan Sampah Sejenis Sampah Rumah Tangga" (Household Waste and Similar Household Waste). This scope limitation is intentional: household waste represents the largest waste stream under local government management authority, while industrial and hazardous waste fall under separate regulatory frameworks. Article 1 of PERPRES 97/2017 defines Household Waste as "sampah yang berasal dari kegiatan sehari-hari dalam rumah tangga yang tidak termasuk tinja dan sampah spesifik" (waste originating from daily activities in households that does not include feces and specific waste). Similar Household Waste encompasses waste from commercial areas, offices, social facilities, and public facilities that has similar characteristics to household waste in composition and quantity.

Third, Jakstranas emphasizes integration and sustainability: "terpadu dan berkelanjutan" (integrated and sustainable). Integration refers to coordination across government levels, sectors, and stakeholders; sustainability encompasses environmental, economic, and social dimensions. This integrated approach recognizes that effective waste management requires coordinated action among central government ministries, provincial and local governments, private sector entities, community organizations, and individual households. Sustainability principles ensure that waste management strategies remain economically viable, environmentally sound, and socially acceptable over the long term.

The 30%/70% Targets: Quantifying Indonesia's Waste Management Ambition

The centerpiece of Jakstranas consists of two complementary quantitative targets to be achieved by the end of 2025, as specified in Article 5 of PERPRES 97/2017. These targets represent Indonesia's formal commitment to fundamentally transform waste management outcomes at national scale through measurable reduction and handling improvements.

The first target mandates: "pengurangan Sampah Rumah Tangga dan Sampah Sejenis Sampah Rumah Tangga sebesar 30% (tiga puluh persen) dari angka timbulan Sampah Rumah Tangga dan Sampah Sejenis Sampah Rumah Tangga sebelum adanya kebijakan dan strategi nasional pengurangan... di tahun 2025" (reduction of Household Waste and Similar Household Waste by 30 percent from the generation rate of Household Waste and Similar Household Waste before the national reduction policy and strategy existed... in 2025). This 30 percent reduction target applies to waste generation rates, measured against baseline conditions existing before Jakstranas implementation.

The 30 percent reduction target encompasses all source reduction activities: consumption reduction, reuse of products, recycling of materials, composting of organic waste, and other activities that prevent waste from entering municipal waste management systems. Crucially, this target focuses on waste generation rates per capita rather than absolute waste quantities, acknowledging that Indonesia's population will continue growing during the 2017-2025 implementation period. A 30 percent per capita reduction represents substantial behavioral change across Indonesian society, requiring widespread adoption of waste reduction practices by households, businesses, and institutions.

The second target requires: "penanganan Sampah Rumah Tangga dan Sampah Sejenis Sampah Rumah Tangga sebesar 70% (tujuh puluh persen) dari angka timbulan... di tahun 2025" (handling of Household Waste and Similar Household Waste by 70 percent of the generation rate... in 2025). This 70 percent handling target addresses the portion of waste that enters municipal waste management systems, requiring proper collection, transportation, processing, and disposal through environmentally sound methods.

The 70 percent handling target represents a dramatic increase from Indonesia's waste management performance before Jakstranas implementation. Pre-2017 estimates suggested that only 30-40 percent of Indonesia's municipal waste received proper handling through formal waste management systems, with the remainder disposed improperly through open dumping, burning, or discharge into waterways. Achieving 70 percent proper handling requires massive expansion of waste collection services, construction of waste processing facilities, development of sanitary landfills with environmental controls, and formalization of informal waste sector operations.

Together, the 30 percent reduction and 70 percent handling targets create a comprehensive framework: if waste generation decreases by 30 percent per capita while 70 percent of remaining waste receives proper handling, Indonesia's waste management system will undergo transformation. These complementary targets embed circular economy principles by prioritizing upstream waste prevention while simultaneously improving downstream waste management infrastructure for materials that cannot be eliminated at source.

Eight-Year Implementation Period: Phasing and Milestones

Article 2 of PERPRES 97/2017 establishes that Jakstranas covers the period: "tahun 2017 sampai dengan tahun 2025" (from 2017 until 2025). This eight-year timeframe provides sufficient duration for implementing complex infrastructure projects, behavior change programs, and regulatory reforms while maintaining urgency through a defined endpoint. The 2017-2025 period also aligns with Indonesia's medium-term development planning cycles, facilitating integration of Jakstranas objectives into national and regional development plans.

The regulation does not prescribe rigid annual targets or mandatory interim milestones for the 30 percent reduction and 70 percent handling goals. Instead, Jakstranas allows flexibility for provinces and districts to establish implementation phasing appropriate to their local conditions, resource availability, and baseline waste management performance. This adaptive approach recognizes Indonesia's substantial regional variations: urban areas with existing waste management infrastructure can accelerate toward 2025 targets faster than rural areas requiring fundamental system establishment.

However, the regulation does establish process milestones for Jakstrada development and program implementation. Article 7 of PERPRES 97/2017 requires that ministers formulate sector-specific action plans within their respective authorities, governors establish provincial-level Jakstrada regulations, and regents/mayors create district/municipal Jakstrada regulations. These hierarchical planning requirements ensure that national strategy cascades downward with increasing specificity, ultimately translating into operational programs delivered by local governments that bear primary responsibility for household waste management.

The 2025 endpoint creates accountability pressure: approaching this deadline, provincial and local governments must demonstrate measurable progress toward established targets. While PERPRES 97/2017 does not specify penalties for failure to achieve targets, the regulation's binding legal status means that government performance can be evaluated against explicit benchmarks. This accountability mechanism represents a significant improvement over previous waste management policies that established aspirational goals without specific targets or timelines.

Waste Reduction Strategies: Upstream Prevention

Article 3 of PERPRES 97/2017 establishes that Jakstranas contains: "arah kebijakan pengurangan dan penanganan... strategi, program, dan target" (policy direction for reduction and handling... strategies, programs, and targets). The reduction strategies component focuses on preventing waste generation at source through consumption pattern changes, product reuse, material recycling, and organic waste composting.

Reduction strategies emphasize behavioral change across multiple stakeholder groups. For households, strategies include education campaigns promoting conscious consumption, single-use product avoidance, food waste reduction, home composting, and participation in community recycling programs. For businesses, strategies encompass voluntary agreements to reduce packaging, adopt refillable or reusable product delivery systems, establish take-back programs for used products, and implement waste reduction practices in commercial operations. For government institutions, strategies include green procurement policies favoring products with minimal packaging, establishing waste sorting and recycling systems in government offices, and modeling waste reduction behaviors for the broader community.

Article 4 of PERPRES 97/2017 identifies key reduction strategies including: "penguatan komitmen dunia usaha melalui penerapan kewajiban produsen dalam pengurangan Sampah" (strengthening business commitment through implementation of producer obligations in waste reduction). This provision explicitly links Jakstranas to extended producer responsibility (EPR) principles, recognizing that producers and distributors must assume responsibility for the end-of-life management of products and packaging they introduce into commerce. EPR programs can drive upstream waste reduction by creating economic incentives for producers to design products that are durable, repairable, recyclable, and minimize packaging materials.

Organic waste reduction represents a particular priority given that organic materials comprise 50-60 percent of Indonesia's household waste stream. Jakstranas promotes composting at various scales: individual household composting bins, community composting facilities serving neighborhoods or apartment complexes, and institutional composting at markets, restaurants, and food service establishments. Converting organic waste into compost at or near generation points eliminates transportation and disposal costs while producing valuable soil amendments that can support urban agriculture or landscaping.

Recycling strategies focus on expanding collection infrastructure for recyclable materials including paper, cardboard, plastics, glass, and metals. This includes both formal recycling programs managed by local governments or waste management companies and informal sector operations conducted by waste pickers and scrap dealers. Jakstranas acknowledges the informal sector's critical role in Indonesia's recycling system and promotes formalization approaches that improve working conditions, increase recycling efficiency, and integrate informal operators into municipal waste management systems.

Waste Handling Strategies: Downstream Infrastructure

Complementing reduction strategies, Jakstranas establishes comprehensive approaches for handling waste that cannot be eliminated at source. Article 4 of PERPRES 97/2017 identifies handling strategies including: "penerapan teknologi penanganan Sampah... yang ramah lingkungan dan tepat guna" (implementation of waste handling technology... that is environmentally friendly and appropriate). This provision emphasizes that handling infrastructure must employ technologies suitable for Indonesian conditions—economically affordable, technically manageable, culturally acceptable, and environmentally protective.

Collection strategies focus on expanding coverage to underserved areas, improving collection frequency and reliability, and implementing source separation systems where households sort waste into organic, recyclable, and residual categories before collection. Expanded collection requires investments in collection vehicles, transfer stations, and collection crew training. Source separation systems enable more efficient downstream processing by delivering pre-sorted waste streams to composting facilities, recycling facilities, or final disposal sites.

Processing strategies encompass mechanical-biological treatment facilities that separate mixed waste streams, composting facilities for organic waste, recycling facilities for material recovery, waste-to-energy facilities converting combustible waste into electricity or heat, and other processing technologies that reduce waste volumes and recover valuable materials or energy. Article 4's emphasis on "environmentally friendly and appropriate" technology means that processing facilities must incorporate environmental controls preventing air pollution, water contamination, and soil degradation while employing technologies that Indonesian operators can maintain and operate reliably.

Final disposal strategies prioritize sanitary landfills over open dumps. Sanitary landfills employ engineered controls including bottom liners preventing leachate contamination of groundwater, leachate collection and treatment systems, landfill gas management systems capturing methane emissions, daily soil cover reducing odors and disease vectors, and post-closure monitoring ensuring long-term environmental protection. PERPRES 97/2017 implicitly acknowledges that achieving the 70 percent proper handling target requires transitioning from open dumping practices that characterized most Indonesian disposal sites pre-2017 toward engineered sanitary landfills meeting environmental standards.

Integrated waste management facilities represent an emerging handling approach combining multiple processing technologies at single sites. These facilities might include mechanical sorting lines separating recyclables, composting systems processing organic waste, waste-to-energy systems combusting residual waste, and sanitary landfill cells disposing of ash and non-processable materials. Integrated facilities offer efficiency advantages through economies of scale, centralized environmental controls, and comprehensive waste stream management.

Extended Producer Responsibility Integration

Jakstranas explicitly integrates extended producer responsibility principles, reflecting growing recognition that producers must assume responsibility for products and packaging throughout their lifecycles. Article 4's provision on "penguatan komitmen dunia usaha melalui penerapan kewajiban produsen dalam pengurangan Sampah" (strengthening business commitment through implementation of producer obligations in waste reduction) establishes EPR as a core national strategy for achieving the 30 percent reduction target.

EPR programs shift waste management costs and responsibilities from local governments and consumers toward producers and distributors who design products, select packaging materials, and control product distribution systems. This responsibility shift creates economic incentives for producers to redesign products minimizing waste generation, extend product lifetimes through improved durability and repairability, facilitate product reuse through take-back and refurbishment programs, and design products and packaging for easy recycling using recyclable materials with established collection and processing systems.

Indonesia has implemented several EPR regulations for specific product categories including electronic waste (Ministry of Environment and Forestry Regulation P-33/MENLHK/SETJEN/KUM.1/7/2016), batteries (Ministry of Environment Regulation No. 14 of 2013), and packaging waste (draft regulations under development as of 2025). Jakstranas provides the overarching policy framework justifying these sector-specific EPR regulations and signals government commitment to expanding EPR coverage to additional product categories generating substantial waste streams.

EPR implementation mechanisms vary by product category but commonly include: deposit-refund systems where consumers pay deposits when purchasing products and receive refunds when returning empty containers or used products; take-back obligations requiring producers or retailers to accept used products from consumers and ensure proper processing; advance disposal fees charged when products are sold with revenues funding end-of-life management programs; and mandatory recycling rates requiring producers to ensure specified percentages of products or packaging are collected and recycled.

The producer obligations referenced in Jakstranas complement the waste management obligations imposed on local governments by UU 18/2008. While districts and municipalities remain responsible for household waste management infrastructure and services, producers assume responsibility for specific product categories generating waste management challenges. This shared responsibility model recognizes that certain waste streams—particularly packaging waste, electronic waste, and products containing hazardous components—require producer involvement due to producers' technical knowledge about product composition, ability to influence design decisions, and financial capacity to fund specialized collection and processing systems.

Jakstrada Cascade: Hierarchical Implementation Structure

Jakstranas operates through a hierarchical cascade mechanism translating national strategy into progressively more specific provincial and local implementation plans. Article 7 of PERPRES 97/2017 establishes this cascading structure requiring development of Jakstrada (Regional Policy and Strategy for Household Waste Reduction and Handling) at both provincial and district/municipal levels.

The regulation specifies that: "Jakstrada provinsi... ditetapkan dengan peraturan gubernur" (provincial Jakstrada... shall be established by gubernatorial regulation). Provincial Jakstrada must align with national Jakstranas while adapting strategies and programs to provincial contexts, resource availability, and specific waste management challenges. Provincial governments play coordinating roles facilitating inter-district cooperation, providing technical assistance to district governments, and managing regional infrastructure serving multiple districts such as sanitary landfills or waste processing facilities.

Similarly, Article 7 requires: "Jakstrada kabupaten/kota... ditetapkan dengan peraturan bupati/wali kota" (district/municipal Jakstrada... shall be established by regent/mayor regulation). District and municipal Jakstrada constitute the operational implementation level where national strategies and provincial adaptations translate into specific programs delivered to communities. Districts and municipalities bear primary responsibility for household waste management services under Indonesia's decentralization framework, making district/municipal Jakstrada the critical link between national policy and ground-level implementation.

The cascading structure ensures policy coherence: district Jakstrada must align with provincial Jakstrada which must align with national Jakstranas, creating vertical integration from presidential regulation down through gubernatorial regulations to regent/mayor regulations. This alignment requirement prevents conflicting policies at different government levels while allowing appropriate contextualization and adaptation. A district might set more ambitious targets than the national 30%/70% benchmarks if local conditions permit, or might phase achievement over the 2017-2025 period reflecting initial infrastructure deficits.

Article 7 also establishes that ministers shall formulate sector-specific action plans within their respective authorities supporting Jakstranas implementation. The Ministry of Environment and Forestry coordinates overall Jakstranas implementation and monitors progress toward national targets. The Ministry of Public Works and Housing addresses waste infrastructure development. The Ministry of Industry engages producers on EPR programs and sustainable production practices. The Ministry of Education and Culture develops waste management education programs for schools. This sectoral coordination ensures that relevant ministries align their programs with Jakstranas objectives, creating whole-of-government approaches rather than isolated environmental ministry initiatives.

Monitoring and Evaluation Framework

Effective implementation of Jakstranas requires robust monitoring systems tracking progress toward the 30 percent reduction and 70 percent handling targets. Article 10 of PERPRES 97/2017 establishes monitoring indicators for measuring performance, creating accountability mechanisms, and identifying implementation challenges requiring corrective action.

For the reduction target, Article 10 specifies monitoring: "penurunan jumlah timbulan Sampah... per kapita" (decrease in the amount of waste generation... per capita). This indicator measures changes in per capita waste generation rates, with decreases indicating successful reduction programs. Monitoring per capita rates rather than absolute quantities accounts for population growth, urbanization, and economic development factors that naturally increase total waste quantities. Successful reduction strategies should demonstrate declining per capita generation rates even as total population and economic activity increase.

Article 10 also requires monitoring: "peningkatan jumlah Sampah... yang terdaur ulang di Sumber Sampah" (increase in the amount of waste... that is recycled at waste sources). This indicator tracks source separation and recycling activities occurring before waste enters municipal collection systems, including household recycling, commercial recycling programs, institutional recycling, and informal sector collection of recyclable materials. Increasing recycling rates at source demonstrates growing participation in waste reduction programs and development of markets for recyclable materials.

Additionally, monitoring must track: "peningkatan jumlah Sampah... yang termanfaatkan kembali di Sumber Sampah" (increase in the amount of waste... that is reused at waste sources). This indicator measures reuse activities preventing waste generation through product refilling, repair, donation for continued use, and other practices extending product lifespans. Reuse occupies the highest position in the waste management hierarchy after source reduction, making this indicator critical for assessing progress toward circular economy principles.

For the handling target, monitoring focuses on waste collection coverage, proper disposal practices, and elimination of open dumping. Key indicators include: percentage of population served by formal waste collection systems; percentage of collected waste receiving proper processing or disposal; number and capacity of sanitary landfills meeting environmental standards; reduction in open dumping sites; and environmental quality monitoring around waste management facilities.

PERPRES 97/2017 assigns monitoring responsibilities to the Ministry of Environment and Forestry at the national level, provincial environmental agencies at the provincial level, and district/municipal environmental agencies at the local level. These agencies must collect data from waste management service providers, conduct field inspections of facilities, survey households about waste management practices, and compile performance reports. Annual progress reports should assess achievement toward 2025 targets, identify implementation successes and challenges, and recommend adjustments to strategies or programs based on monitoring findings.

The regulation does not establish specific penalties for failure to achieve targets or mandatory corrective action procedures. However, the monitoring framework creates transparency enabling public oversight of government performance. Civil society organizations, media, and communities can compare actual outcomes against the regulation's explicit targets, creating political pressure for improved performance and accountability for implementation failures.

Key Regulatory Provisions: Verbatim Analysis

Several provisions in PERPRES 97/2017 warrant detailed examination for understanding Jakstranas's legal structure and implementation requirements.

Article 1 defines Jakstranas as: "arah kebijakan dan strategi dalam pengurangan dan penanganan Sampah Rumah Tangga dan Sampah Sejenis Sampah Rumah Tangga tingkat nasional yang terpadu dan berkelanjutan" (the policy direction and strategy for reduction and handling of Household Waste and Similar Household Waste at the national level that is integrated and sustainable). This definition establishes scope, emphasizes both reduction and handling components, targets specific waste streams, and commits to integrated and sustainable approaches.

Article 2 specifies Jakstranas coverage: "tahun 2017 sampai dengan tahun 2025" (from 2017 until 2025), and contents: "arah kebijakan pengurangan dan penanganan... strategi, program, dan target" (policy direction for reduction and handling... strategies, programs, and targets). This provision establishes the temporal scope and structural components of national strategy.

Article 5 establishes the 30 percent reduction target: "pengurangan Sampah Rumah Tangga dan Sampah Sejenis Sampah Rumah Tangga sebesar 30% (tiga puluh persen) dari angka timbulan Sampah Rumah Tangga dan Sampah Sejenis Sampah Rumah Tangga sebelum adanya kebijakan dan strategi nasional pengurangan... di tahun 2025" (reduction of Household Waste and Similar Household Waste by 30 percent from the generation rate of Household Waste and Similar Household Waste before the national reduction policy and strategy existed... in 2025). The baseline reference "before the national reduction policy and strategy existed" anchors measurement to pre-2017 conditions, ensuring that progress calculations reflect actual improvements rather than statistical manipulations.

Article 5 also establishes the 70 percent handling target: "penanganan Sampah Rumah Tangga dan Sampah Sejenis Sampah Rumah Tangga sebesar 70% (tujuh puluh persen) dari angka timbulan... di tahun 2025" (handling of Household Waste and Similar Household Waste by 70 percent of the generation rate... in 2025). The "from generation rate" formulation means that 70 percent of waste generated must receive proper handling through formal systems, not 70 percent of waste collected—a higher standard preventing governments from claiming success by limiting collection coverage.

Article 4 identifies EPR integration: "penguatan komitmen dunia usaha melalui penerapan kewajiban produsen dalam pengurangan Sampah" (strengthening business commitment through implementation of producer obligations in waste reduction). The phrase "kewajiban produsen" (producer obligations) constitutes legal language establishing that producers have mandatory responsibilities, not voluntary opportunities, for waste reduction.

Article 7 establishes the Jakstrada cascade: "Jakstrada provinsi... ditetapkan dengan peraturan gubernur" (provincial Jakstrada... shall be established by gubernatorial regulation) and "Jakstrada kabupaten/kota... ditetapkan dengan peraturan bupati/wali kota" (district/municipal Jakstrada... shall be established by regent/mayor regulation). The use of "ditetapkan" (shall be established) indicates mandatory requirements, not optional guidance, binding provincial and local governments to develop their own Jakstrada regulations aligned with national strategy.

Article 10 specifies monitoring indicators including: "penurunan jumlah timbulan Sampah... per kapita" (decrease in the amount of waste generation... per capita), "peningkatan jumlah Sampah... yang terdaur ulang di Sumber Sampah" (increase in the amount of waste... that is recycled at waste sources), and "peningkatan jumlah Sampah... yang termanfaatkan kembali di Sumber Sampah" (increase in the amount of waste... that is reused at waste sources). These three indicators comprehensively measure reduction activities: overall generation decrease, recycling increase, and reuse increase.

Progress Assessment: Challenges and Achievements

As of 2025, approaching the endpoint of Jakstranas's 2017-2025 implementation period, Indonesia has made substantial but uneven progress toward the regulation's ambitious 30 percent reduction and 70 percent handling targets. Comprehensive national data remains limited, but available evidence from monitoring reports, academic studies, and field observations reveals both significant achievements and persistent challenges.

On waste collection coverage, Indonesia has expanded formal waste management services to reach more communities, particularly in urban and peri-urban areas. Major cities including Jakarta, Surabaya, Bandung, and Medan report collection coverage exceeding 80 percent of populations, approaching the 70 percent handling target at municipal scales. However, collection coverage remains significantly lower in rural areas, small towns, and remote regions where population density does not justify extensive infrastructure investments. National average collection coverage estimates suggest approximately 60-65 percent coverage as of 2025, representing substantial improvement from pre-2017 baseline of 30-40 percent but falling short of the 70 percent target.

Infrastructure development has accelerated with construction of new sanitary landfills, composting facilities, material recovery facilities, and waste-to-energy plants. Several provinces have developed regional sanitary landfills serving multiple districts, improving economies of scale and environmental performance compared to small open dumps. However, many existing disposal sites still operate below sanitary landfill standards, lacking adequate leachate management, landfill gas controls, or environmental monitoring systems. The transition from open dumping to engineered sanitary landfills represents a multi-decade infrastructure challenge requiring sustained investment beyond Jakstranas's 2025 endpoint.

Waste reduction programs show promising results in specific contexts but face scaling challenges. Many municipalities have implemented public education campaigns, community composting programs, and waste sorting initiatives. Some communities demonstrate strong participation in source separation and recycling programs, achieving local reduction rates exceeding 30 percent through household composting, active recycling participation, and conscious consumption changes. However, these successes often occur in affluent urban neighborhoods or communities with strong local leadership, while broader national participation remains limited. Achieving 30 percent nationwide reduction requires extending successful programs to all socioeconomic segments and geographic areas.

Extended producer responsibility implementation has progressed slowly. The electronic waste EPR regulation has established collection systems in major cities, but collection coverage and processing capacity remain inadequate for the volume of electronics entering waste streams. Packaging EPR regulations have stalled due to producer resistance to cost allocation and technical challenges defining producer responsibilities across complex supply chains. Without robust EPR implementation, achieving ambitious reduction targets becomes more difficult as producers continue introducing products and packaging designed for single use without considering end-of-life management.

Monitoring and data systems have improved but remain incomplete. Many provinces and districts now conduct periodic waste composition studies, track collection coverage, and monitor disposal site operations. However, data quality varies significantly, methodologies lack standardization, and reporting remains inconsistent. The Ministry of Environment and Forestry publishes annual reports on national waste management status, but these reports acknowledge data limitations and gaps. Comprehensive national assessment of progress toward the 30%/70% targets requires improved data collection systems, standardized measurement methodologies, and regular independent verification.

Despite implementation challenges, Jakstranas has succeeded in establishing waste management as a national priority, creating accountability frameworks through explicit targets and timelines, and mobilizing government action at all levels. The regulation has catalyzed hundreds of local Jakstrada regulations, thousands of community programs, and substantial infrastructure investments. While Indonesia may not fully achieve the 30 percent reduction and 70 percent handling targets by December 31, 2025, Jakstranas has fundamentally transformed Indonesia's approach to waste management from ad hoc disposal toward strategic, integrated systems pursuing waste prevention and proper handling.

Conclusion

Indonesia's Jakstranas represents one of Southeast Asia's most comprehensive national waste management strategies, establishing explicit quantitative targets, defining implementation timeframes, and creating hierarchical governance structures cascading from national policy to local operations. Through PERPRES 97/2017, Indonesia committed to reducing per capita household waste generation by 30 percent and properly handling 70 percent of waste by 2025, measured against pre-2017 baselines. These ambitious targets embody waste management hierarchy principles prioritizing source reduction while acknowledging the necessity of improved handling infrastructure for waste that cannot be eliminated.

The regulation's dual focus on reduction and handling creates complementary strategies: upstream prevention through consumption changes, reuse, recycling, and composting; and downstream infrastructure through expanded collection, processing facilities, and sanitary disposal. Integration of extended producer responsibility principles recognizes that achieving reduction targets requires producer involvement in product design, packaging minimization, and end-of-life management. The Jakstrada cascade mechanism ensures that national strategy translates into provincial adaptations and local implementation plans, creating policy coherence across government levels while allowing contextual adaptation.

Approaching the 2025 endpoint, Indonesia has made substantial progress expanding waste collection coverage, developing infrastructure, and implementing reduction programs, though full achievement of targets remains challenged by resource constraints, institutional capacity limitations, and the sheer scale of waste management transformation required. Regardless of precise target attainment, Jakstranas has succeeded in establishing accountability frameworks, mobilizing government action, and fundamentally reorienting Indonesia's waste management approach from disposal-focused toward prevention-focused strategies. The regulation's legacy will extend beyond 2025 as provinces and districts continue implementing programs, expanding infrastructure, and pursuing the circular economy principles embedded in the 30 percent reduction target.

For policymakers, practitioners, and communities, Jakstranas provides both regulatory mandate and practical guidance for waste management improvement. The regulation's explicit targets, monitoring indicators, and implementation strategies offer replicable models adaptable to diverse local contexts. As Indonesia develops post-2025 waste management strategies, the Jakstranas framework—quantitative targets, hierarchical implementation, integrated reduction and handling approaches, EPR integration, and performance monitoring—will likely inform future policy iterations pursuing Indonesia's long-term vision of sustainable, circular waste management systems serving all communities with environmental protection and resource conservation.

Primary Regulatory Sources:
- Presidential Regulation No. 97 of 2017 on National Policy and Strategy for Household Waste and Similar Waste Reduction and Handling: https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/73225
- Law No. 18 of 2008 on Waste Management: https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/39067

Disclaimer

This article was AI-generated under an experimental legal-AI application. It may contain errors, inaccuracies, or hallucinations. The content is provided for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as legal advice or authoritative interpretation of regulations.

We accept no liability whatsoever for any decisions made based on this article. Readers are strongly advised to:

• Consult the official regulation text from government sources
• Seek professional legal counsel for specific matters
• Verify all information independently

This experimental AI application is designed to improve access to regulatory information, but accuracy cannot be guaranteed.