Generating Renewable Energy from Municipal Waste Sector: A Comparative Study between Japan and Indonesia

Abstract

Although Indonesia has abundant resources to produce renewable energy (RE) from municipal solid waste (MSW), the implementation of waste to energy (WtE) concept remains low due to several factors. Approximately, 200,000 tons of MSW per day are generated in Indonesia. Improper waste management system in Indonesia is not only causing environmental problems but also inhibiting to get benefits from RE production. This study which was funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) was conducted to obtain a comparative description of WtE implementation between Japan and Indonesia as well as to formulate possible strategies for improving WtE implementation in Indonesia. Direct observations and a series of qualitative depth interviews with stakeholders were conducted both in Japan and Indonesia. This study revealed that the two countries have a different approach of WtE implementation. The implementation of WtE in Japan mostly relies on thermal treatment as a form of intermediate treatment of MSW to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill as well as to increase the life span of landfill. In Indonesia, WtE implementation mostly uses the biological treatment (anaerobic digestion) as a part of final treatment of MSW in landfill. Conducting integrated waste and energy management system is one of best practices from Japan that can be learned and applied in Indonesia to improve the implementation of WtE.