In some encouraging news around Indonesia’s efforts to tackle an ever growing problem with waste, Antara News are reporting that the provincial government of West Sumatra is exploring cooperation with a Norwegian waste management organization and a waste programme funding provider to address the issue.
The Norwegian groups are Avfall Norge, an organization that focuses on waste management, and Norsk Gjenvinning, a company that provides funding for waste management programmes.
West Sumatra Deputy Governor, Audy Joinaldy, told the press that “delegates from West Sumatra have carried out a study and explored cooperation with Avfall Norge and Norsk Gjenvinning” because the waste problem has become quite serious in West Sumatra and the government is seeking waste management solutions.
“In a meeting in Norway on February 14, 2023, delegates from West Sumatra discussed and directly saw the waste management activities there,” he said, adding that Avfall Norge’s Clean Oceans for Clean Communities (CLOCC) programme, has been replicated and implemented in Banyuwangi, East Java and can also be replicated to tackle the problem of waste in West Sumatra.
The deputy governor said that the two parties are interested in exploring cooperation opportunities further to find waste management solutions and create a circular economy in West Sumatra and further discussions are being arranged to be carried out online, involving several district and city governments of West Sumatra, say Antara News.
One of the delegates, who is also head of the Governance and Regional Autonomy Bureau of West Sumatra, Doni Rahmad Samulo, said that his side has prepared the necessary steps so that the cooperation can be realized.
According to him, currently, several waste landfills in West Sumatra have almost exceeded their capacity. One of the solutions being considered is expanding the landfill areas, but that will require a huge budget and will only be a temporary solution, he explained, which is why other solutions are needed to tackle the waste problem.
Cooperation with the Norwegian groups, especially in sorting waste before it is sent to landfills, is one of the strategic solutions that can be taken, Samulo said.
Source: Antara News
