Jakarta Prepares Food Waste Rules to Ease Landfill Burden

Jakarta is gearing up to implement new policies aimed at combating food waste, a persistent problem that heavily taxes the city's waste management system and landfills.

The Head of the Jakarta Environmental Agency, Dudi Gardesi Asikin, emphasized the need for a comprehensive approach to prevent food waste. This includes better planning during shopping, improved food storage, mindful cooking and serving, and finding ways to repurpose edible leftovers. The Jakarta Provincial Government plans to reinforce these efforts through policy changes, encouraging shifts in public behavior, and fostering innovation within the business sector.

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Reducing food waste from households, restaurants, hotels, catering, and various business operations will greatly ease the burden on city waste management. These efforts must start at the source so that valuable food does not end up as trash.

"Reducing food waste from households, restaurants, hotels, catering, and various business operations will greatly ease the burden on city waste management. These efforts must start at the source so that valuable food does not end up as trash," Dudi stated. Currently, organic material, primarily food waste, makes up nearly half of Jakarta's approximately 9,059 tons of daily waste.

Echoing these concerns, the Head of the Jakarta Food Security, Maritime, and Agriculture Agency, Hasudungan A. Sidabalok, highlighted that food is the product of an extensive supply chain. National data from Bappenas indicates that between 23 million and 48 million tons of food are lost or wasted annually in Indonesia, potentially causing economic losses of up to Rp511 trillion. To address this, the Jakarta administration is drafting a Regional Regulation on Food System Implementation, which will include measures for food waste prevention and control. "Building a sustainable food system requires the participation of all stakeholders. Every step taken to cut food waste will deliver a significant impact on food security while reducing waste across Jakarta," Hasudungan added.

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Building a sustainable food system requires the participation of all stakeholders. Every step taken to cut food waste will deliver a significant impact on food security while reducing waste across Jakarta.