Indonesia tackles widespread household waste burning crisis as 57% of families still use dangerous practice

In neighborhoods across Indonesia, local officials like Erwinsyah face an impossible choice: leave dangerous piles of discarded mattresses and furniture cluttering streets where children walk to school, or burn them in empty fields despite knowing the health risks. As head of a neighborhood unit in Bogor, south of Jakarta, Erwinsyah represents millions of Indonesians trapped in a waste management crisis that has made open burning the nation’s most common disposal method.

A startling 2023 Ministry of Health survey revealed that 57% of Indonesian households still burn their waste, despite the practice being illegal under the country’s 2008 Waste Management Law. This percentage dwarfs other disposal methods: only 27.6% of households use waste collectors, 8.7% take trash to proper disposal sites, and a mere 0.1% recycle their waste. The widespread burning releases dangerous pollutants into communities, posing serious health risks to residents, particularly children and vulnerable populations.

The crisis stems from inadequate waste collection infrastructure and limited alternatives for bulky items like furniture and mattresses. When formal waste systems fail to reach neighborhoods, residents and local officials feel forced to choose burning over allowing potentially hazardous piles to accumulate on busy streets. New pilot projects are now emerging to address this challenge, offering hope for breaking Indonesia’s dangerous dependency on open waste burning while providing communities with safer, more sustainable disposal alternatives.