Bandung Tackles Waste Crisis With Food Waste Reduction Campaign

Bandung is grappling with a severe waste crisis, generating 1,600 tons of trash daily, a significant portion of which is food waste. A campaign called "Tong Kalap, Tong Nyesa!" (Don't Buy Too Much, Don't Leave Leftovers!) has been launched by the city's Culture and Tourism Agency in collaboration with WRI Indonesia. This initiative specifically targets millennials and Gen Z to curb food waste, which accounts for 44% of all waste, with much of it still edible.

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Food waste is a big urban challenge. Global data shows that the hotel, restaurant, and cafe sector, along with households, are the main contributors.

The program highlights that 80% of household waste occurs during consumption. Global data indicates that hotels, restaurants, and cafes are major contributors, accounting for 63% of food waste in Bandung, according to the local Environment Agency. Tomi Haryadi, Program Director for Food, Land, and Water at WRI Indonesia, stressed that changing public behavior is key to tackling the waste problem at its source.

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Changes in public behavior are the main key to breaking the chain of waste from its source.

This effort is urgent as Bandung's final processing facility, Sarimukti Landfill, is operating beyond its ideal capacity, with 78% of its intake coming from the city. Arti Indallah from the Foundation for Humanist and Social Innovation emphasized that reducing food waste is a direct action against climate change, an issue that disproportionately affects young people who are also seen as crucial agents of change.

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Climate change is an issue of justice. Young people will be the most affected group, but at the same time, they have a big role to play in leading the solution.

Bandung's tourism sector, heavily reliant on its numerous cafes and restaurants, is also impacted. Adi Junjunan Mustafa, Head of the Culture and Tourism Agency, stated that high food waste generation threatens the industry. The agency is committed to encouraging culinary businesses to adopt more responsible consumption practices for sustainable tourism. Initially, 10 restaurants and cafes have partnered in this pilot campaign.

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We are committed to encouraging cafe and restaurant business actors to contribute to realizing a more responsible consumption ecosystem towards sustainable tourism in Bandung.