Prevented Ocean Plastic launches Indonesian waste management initiative, raising calls for mandatory funding

09 Oct 2023 --- Prevented Ocean Plastic Southeast Asia (POPSEA) has opened a collection center in North Jakarta, Indonesia, as a part of the company’s mission to set up recycling infrastructure in underserved communities across the country. 

We speak to journalist Benedict Wermter, who is actively reporting on pollution and waste management in Indonesia about the POPSEA project. While Wermter says that such waste management initiatives are “urgently” needed in Indonesia, he also flags that the POPSEA press release includes the “usual PR spectacle and name-dropping of stakeholders around those relatively small schemes.” 

“Instead, as the entire plastic supply chain knows it needs to be mandatorily funded, widespread collection schemes grow out of local communities and businesses,” asserts Wermter. 

We have reached out to POPSEA for a response. 

The first POPSEA site opened in Semarang in June and can process up to 110 metric tons of plastic waste per month, providing scope for around 30 jobs. The projects are a result of the ongoing partnership with Singapore-based investment management firm Circulate Capital, which was present at the launch’s inauguration. 

The organization’s goal is to open 25 new collection centers in at-risk coastal communities by 2025. Once complete, these new collection centers will be able to process over 68,000 [metric] tons per year of otherwise uncollected plastic from at-risk coastal regions.

The first POPSEA site opened in Semarang and can process up to 110 metric tons of plastic waste per month, providing 30 jobs.Locally-adjusted infrastructure
POPSEA aims to fill the recycling infrastructure gap by developing an efficient and impactful model that sets the standard for industry best practices in Southeast Asia.

The POPSEA team works to develop solutions to improve the recycling supply chain in Indonesia and provide high-quality traceable recycled plastic to global markets, generating environmental, social and economic value from the first collector to the end consumer. 

To date, the Prevented Ocean Plastic program has prevented almost two billion bottles from reaching the ocean. The initiative has grown into an award-winning project that works in partnership with global brands ranging from Lidl to LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton). 

“We have been addressing the problem of ocean plastic pollution for a long time,” says POPSEA’s director, Daniel Lawrence, “and our continued partnership with Circulate Capital allows us to scale that further by building more collection centers in the areas that need it. 

As a result of Circulate Capital’s investment, POPSEA says it has expanded its coverage areas, provided more income opportunities for collectors and increased the amount of recycled material available for businesses to bring into their supply chain.

“Through the success of its model, POPSEA is creating a blueprint for preventing plastic pollution in Indonesia and the region,” says Regula Schegg, founding Partner at Circulate Capital. 

POPSEA’s co-founder Raffi Schieir adds: “By building more infrastructure, we can prevent plastic at its source and create a circular economy that will elevate all those involved.”

Education for successWermter says that the logistics around recycling in Indonesia across thousands of islands each will “always be a challenge.”
Wermter names the integration of a waste collection scheme into local structures a main challenge for establishing an effective system. 

“Households not only need to perform source separation and eventually pay a fee but also need support to change consumption patterns,” he highlights. 

Addressing over-consumption through frequent education is a core part that many initiatives seem to ignore, which is probably because some of them are funded by producers themselves. 

Wermter says that generally, the logistics around recycling in countries like Indonesia or the Philippines across thousands of islands each will “always be a challenge.”

Wermter and Jacqueline Goebel published a book — “The Plastics Addiction” — earlier this year, detailing how one of the world’s most useful and abundant resources has drawn society into a “damaging and unnecessary” dependency threatening human and environmental health.

“The global society is addicted to fast-moving goods and single-use items and packaging for which we need a detox. Most recycling or clean-up activities are just harm reduction instead of preventing the addiction with its negative impacts on health and environment,” says Wermter regarding Southeast Asia’s “plastics addiction.”

“Hopefully, sustainability will one day mean supporting communities in preventing and reducing waste at source by providing more reusable or refillable solutions while banning toxic products.”

By Natalie Schwertheim