Indonesia Plans Waste to Energy Plants Across 30 Cities as Landfills Fill Up

Jakarta's 8,000 tonnes of daily rubbish put the plan to the test

Indonesia is preparing dozens of large plants that burn rubbish to generate electricity, with a proposed facility at Bantar Gebang showing both the urgency and the limits of the approach. The landfill in Bekasi has received most of Jakarta's waste since 1989, covers about 110 hectares and is nearing capacity. The capital now produces around 8,000 tonnes of rubbish a day, sharply more than a decade ago.

The first planned unit at Bantar Gebang would process about 1,000 tonnes daily. That is roughly one eighth of Jakarta's current daily waste output, illustrating why an initial incinerator would be the beginning of a larger waste management complex. Collection, sorting and treatment would still have to handle the rest.

Across Indonesia, daily waste generation reaches hundreds of thousands of tonnes. Local systems for collecting, separating and disposing of it have struggled to keep pace. The government wants modern waste to energy facilities in at least 30 cities, with officials also describing plans for 33 or 34 locations as procurement advances.

As of October 22, 2025, the program combines an urgent landfill response with a substantial construction and financing effort. Each plant is expected to cost two to three trillion rupiah, or roughly S$156 million to S$234 million. Supporters say controlled combustion can sharply reduce the amount of rubbish needing burial and provide steady electricity. Critics question pollution controls, climate benefits, costs and the consequences for recycling and people who earn a living recovering useful materials from waste.

Countries in Europe and Northeast Asia have used incineration for years. Indonesia's challenge is to make the technology work within a waste system managed by hundreds of local authorities, while keeping nearby communities informed and protecting livelihoods.

Where the plants would go and how much they would handle

The proposed facilities would generally process about 1,000 to 2,000 tonnes of municipal waste per day. Bantar Gebang is among the early sites, while Yogyakarta, Bogor, Semarang and other urban centers have projects in the pipeline. Some proposals pair incinerators with sorting stations and transfer facilities, where waste can be gathered before being moved to the plant.

Tangerang's proposed project is designed for about 2,000 tonnes a day. Makassar is preparing a plant with a generating capacity of 20 megawatts, or MW. The only large facility of similar scale currently operating in Indonesia is in East Java, where about 1,600 tonnes of waste are burned daily.

Officials say the new plants could reduce the volume of rubbish requiring burial by as much as 90 percent. Most facilities aim for a reduction of around 80 to 90 percent. Less material going into landfills would reduce the space needed for disposal and could lower the risks of fires, disease and leachate, the polluted liquid that drains from waste.

Jakarta's heavy daily waste load explains the focus on large sites before extending the model to other regions. At Bantar Gebang, the longer term aim is to connect citywide collection with sorting lines for recyclables and organic material, then recover energy from the remaining waste. Fewer trucks would ultimately need to take rubbish to open dumps.

How rubbish becomes electricity

Most of the planned facilities are expected to use mass burn incineration, which means burning mixed municipal waste. Trucks unload in a receiving hall, and cranes move the rubbish into a furnace. Moving grates carry it through the high temperature combustion process.

Heat from the furnace boils water to produce steam. The steam turns a turbine, which generates electricity for the grid. Exhaust gases pass through several cleaning stages before leaving through a stack, while ash is collected for disposal or possible reuse after treatment.

The plants are designed to run continuously. Their electricity would provide baseload power, meaning a steady supply rather than the variable output associated with wind or solar generation. Depending on its size and location, a single facility could supply tens of thousands of households and support the power needs of a city of medium size.

Indonesia's rubbish contains a high proportion of wet food scraps, alongside plastics, paper, textiles and other materials. Moisture lowers the energy available from burning waste, so sorting and removing water before combustion can help. The quality of incoming rubbish matters alongside the number of tonnes delivered.

Deputy Minister Yuliot Tanjung of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources has described plans to expand the program and allow different technologies according to local waste composition and city needs. He outlined a pathway for electricity generation and new fuels:

We are drafting a new presidential regulation to provide clearer definitions for waste to energy technologies. The plan is to implement plants in 30 major cities, with 20 MW added to each grid starting in 2029.

At 20 MW in each of 30 cities, that plan would amount to 600 MW of generating capacity. Earlier tallies listed 17 proposed projects nationwide with combined capacity of more than 100 MW. The new program would therefore cover more sites and envisage a larger electricity contribution.

What remains after the furnace

Incineration leaves two main types of solid residue: bottom ash and fly ash. Bottom ash remains after combustion and can sometimes be used in construction, but only after treatment and safety testing. Fly ash includes fine particles and pollutants captured from exhaust gases.

Fly ash can contain heavy metals and other harmful substances. It must be carefully stabilized and taken to secure landfills. The planned reduction in rubbish volume therefore comes with a continuing need for disposal facilities that can safely handle the remaining material.

Reliable systems for treating, transporting and disposing of ash are part of the investment required to keep plants operating. Where safe reuse is possible, established supply chains can reduce costs and environmental risks over time. Developers and local authorities also need a clear plan for both types of ash before projects can secure dependable financing.

Who would pay for construction and operation

The government has indicated that proceeds from patriot bonds would help cover upfront costs. These are government bonds marketed to citizens and institutions. Financing is expected to combine public and private money, with partnerships between government bodies and companies serving as the standard approach.

Danantara, Indonesia's sovereign wealth vehicle, is responsible for structuring projects and coordinating across more than 500 regional authorities. Officials say more than 100 domestic and international firms have expressed interest in joining consortia that would design, finance, build and operate facilities under agreements lasting many years.

The estimated two to three trillion rupiah cost of each plant reflects more than the furnace itself. Facilities need equipment for high temperature combustion, pollution controls, ash handling and connections to the electricity grid. Those components are central to both performance and public safety.

Plant revenue would come from two main sources. Local governments would pay a tipping fee for each tonne of waste delivered, while the state electricity utility PLN would buy the power at a fixed tariff. A tipping fee is the payment made to a facility for accepting and treating rubbish.

Indonesia permits full foreign ownership in management of waste that is not hazardous. That can attract technology providers from countries with long experience in incineration. Public private partnerships would share financial pressure and assign responsibilities and risks through contracts.

Lenders and developers will need dependable tipping fees included in regional budgets, binding electricity purchase agreements with PLN and predictable waste deliveries. Local governments will also need confidence that plants can operate safely. Publishing monitoring data and giving communities access to oversight can reduce disputes and delays.

The schedule includes several different milestones

A presidential regulation issued in 2025 broadens urban waste management beyond converting rubbish into electricity. Where feasible, the framework also allows conversion into synthetic fuels and other usable products. Synthetic fuels are fuels produced through a conversion process rather than obtained directly in their usable form.

Officials are targeting completion of facilities in about 33 cities by the end of 2027, with an initial batch launching in late 2025 across 10 locations. Yuliot's stated electricity rollout begins in 2029. Those dates describe different stages of the program: project launches, targeted completion and planned additions to city grids.

Coordinating Minister Zulkifli Hasan, speaking at an awards event in Jakarta, said President Prabowo Subianto supported faster deployment of the technology:

President Prabowo Subianto has approved accelerating waste management in urban areas using eco friendly technology.

The main dates and milestones described for the waste system and proposed rollout are:

• 1989: Bantar Gebang began taking most of Jakarta's rubbish.
• 2025: A presidential regulation broadened the scope of urban waste conversion, including electricity, synthetic fuels and other products where feasible.
• Late 2025: An initial batch of projects is planned to launch in 10 locations.
• End of 2027: Authorities are targeting completion of plants in about 33 cities.
• From 2029: Yuliot's stated plan would add 20 MW to each grid in 30 major cities.

Policymakers are also reviewing tax rules for developers and processing thresholds for larger facilities. Indonesia's decentralized system gives hundreds of districts and cities responsibility for collection and disposal, making consistent sorting practices, landfill standards and fee arrangements difficult.

A national framework with procurement templates, performance benchmarks and emissions reporting rules could help local authorities move projects into construction without years of delay. Coordination with PLN's grid planning and local public works budgets is equally necessary to keep the schedule on track.

Pollution controls will determine the health risks

Communities around large landfills already face smoke, odors and water pollution. Indonesia's waste disasters include the deadly Leuwigajah landslide in 2005 and the major Sarimukti fire in 2023. People living near Bantar Gebang have long reported foul smells and contaminated groundwater, while respiratory illness remains a persistent concern.

Replacing open dumping with controlled combustion can reduce landfill fires and methane leakage. Incinerators introduce their own health and environmental risks when equipment, operation or oversight is inadequate. The government's proposed plants therefore depend on more than their ability to burn large volumes of waste.

Modern facilities use high temperatures and keep waste in the furnace long enough to promote complete combustion. Exhaust treatment then tackles different pollutants. Baghouse filters catch particles, scrubbers neutralize acidic gases, and activated carbon captures substances including dioxins, furans and mercury.

Continuous emissions monitoring systems can send readings to regulators and make results available to the public. Maintenance schedules and emergency shutdown procedures are also essential. Safeguards work when equipment is properly installed and operated; sporadic monitoring or vague standards leave communities with reasons for concern.

Some European countries are debating carbon taxes on incinerators, and the European Union no longer treats incineration as a green or renewable source. For Indonesia, that policy context makes transparent emissions reporting and careful accounting of climate effects an important part of the rollout.

Benowo shows why local acceptance matters

Surabaya's Benowo facility offers experience in managing relations with nearby communities. Early opposition centered on potential effects on livelihoods and daily life. Operators and city officials responded through regular communication, a compensation system, local employment and improvements to roads and public amenities.

Residents have reported cleaner surroundings and fewer pests, although occasional odors and leachate episodes still need attention. The experience connects public acceptance to visible improvements and remedies when problems arise, alongside explanations of how the facility operates.

New projects could use open days, accessible operational information and publication of emissions readings in real time to address residents' concerns. Community oversight panels would give neighbors a role in identifying problems and resolving disputes before they grow.

Training, healthcare and scholarships are among the social programs that could share benefits more widely. Even a technically sound plant can face delays when residents feel excluded from decisions or receive no practical response to problems affecting their homes.

Recycling and waste pickers need a place in the new system

Indonesia's informal waste economy supports tens of thousands of people who collect and sort recyclables at landfills and neighborhood depots. A rapid move to centralized incinerators could disrupt those incomes if materials that can be sold or recycled are instead sent directly into furnaces.

Advocates also warn about contracts that commit cities to supplying waste over many years. A plant that depends on a guaranteed flow of rubbish may create pressure to burn more material, including recyclable plastics. Procurement terms will influence whether electricity generation supports or weakens recycling goals.

Cities can organize treatment around a waste hierarchy, which ranks ways of handling rubbish. Reducing waste comes first, followed by reuse and recycling. Energy recovery would then deal with the remaining material that cannot economically be recycled or composted.

Contracts can include minimum targets for recycling and diverting organic waste from disposal. They can also prevent plants from demanding waste quality or volume guarantees that work against those targets. Sorting hubs and material recovery facilities, where useful materials are separated, would need investment alongside incinerators.

Waste pickers could join the new system as contracted sorters, employees with safety training or members of cooperatives supplying clean recyclables. Health insurance, protective equipment and consistent pay could make that transition an improvement in working conditions rather than a loss of income. Communities near Bantar Gebang have asked to participate in the new model, making a fair transition plan essential as construction begins.

The climate calculation depends on what gets burned

Food waste dominates Indonesia's rubbish by weight. When organic material decomposes in landfills, it produces methane, a greenhouse gas with a stronger warming effect than carbon dioxide over a few decades. Researchers estimate that methane accounts for the great majority of emissions from the country's food supply chain.

Burning organic rubbish can avoid some of that methane. Burning plastics, however, releases carbon dioxide from fossil carbon. The climate result depends on collection and sorting, combustion efficiency and the electricity source displaced by power from the plant.

Life cycle assessments compare emissions across the stages of a waste system, rather than looking only at the furnace. They indicate that modern incineration can reduce net greenhouse gas emissions compared with open dumping and conventional landfills, provided facilities meet strict pollution control standards and cities continue ambitious recycling and composting.

A recent analysis of Java's capital cities estimated potential emissions reductions of around 40 percent when incineration replaces unmanaged landfilling. It put the levelized cost of electricity at about US$0.044 per kilowatt hour, roughly aligned with current national prices. Levelized cost is a way of comparing electricity costs across a facility's operating life.

The same analysis estimated that electricity production from incineration in those cities alone could exceed two million megawatt hours annually in 2025, given sufficient plant capacity and waste supply. The estimate depends on both the necessary facilities and enough suitable rubbish reaching them.

Indonesia's electricity system still relies heavily on coal. Replacing some coal generation with electricity from waste could avoid more emissions per unit of power than in a cleaner grid. Increasing plastic burning to improve energy output would raise emissions and weaken recycling efforts.

The strongest outcomes described for the program combine composting or anaerobic digestion of organics, robust recycling and incineration of the remaining waste with high standards for pollution control. Anaerobic digestion processes organic material without oxygen. Waste to energy would remain a modest part of Indonesia's wider energy transition rather than a complete answer to its climate challenge.

Indonesia has also reopened channels for international carbon trading under a new decree, seeking investment in projects that can verify emissions reductions. Methane mitigation from waste is a major focus of climate action worldwide. Eligibility for waste to energy facilities will depend on national rules and international standards, which currently treat incineration cautiously.

Carbon market credibility would require clear reporting, independent verification and a connection to a broader strategy for reducing waste. The financial opportunity sits alongside the practical demands already facing the program: reliable collection, safe operation, sustained recycling and public oversight.

Key Points

• Indonesia plans waste to energy facilities in at least 30 cities, with officials describing 33 or 34 locations as procurement advances.
• Bantar Gebang's proposed first unit would handle about 1,000 tonnes daily, compared with Jakarta's roughly 8,000 tonnes of daily rubbish.
• Each plant is expected to cost two to three trillion rupiah. Patriot bonds and public private financing would support construction, with Danantara coordinating projects and PLN buying electricity.
• An initial launch is planned for 10 locations in late 2025. Authorities target completion in about 33 cities by the end of 2027, while Yuliot's electricity rollout starts in 2029.
• Plants aim to reduce waste volume by around 80 to 90 percent, but ash still requires treatment, testing and safe disposal.
• Pollution controls, continuous monitoring, community engagement and protection for waste pickers are central to the proposed transition.
• Research on Java's capital cities estimates emissions reductions of around 40 percent compared with unmanaged landfilling, with outcomes dependent on waste composition, recycling and plant performance.