Moving from waste to resource management: A case study of Lake Toba, Indonesia

This article presents field experience in developing local waste management plans called Kebijakan Strategi Daerah (Jakstrada) in the Lake Toba region, one of the popular tourist destinations in Indonesia. It examines the current waste management status and discusses key priorities and actions identified in the Jakstradas to improve the waste management based on resource management and 3R (reduce, reuse and recycle) principles. In partnership with public, private, academic and citizen groups, the project activities supported the development of Jakstradas in all seven regencies and established a resource recovery centre (RRC) as a model to practice 3Rs in the region. The key lessons learned from these project activities are discussed and some practical recommendations are identified based on a literature review, interviews and workshops with local government officials and residents. Through those opportunities, it was found that remote regencies around Lake Toba do not have environmentally sound final disposal sites and do not have the financial or technical capacity to provide waste collection and handling services to residents, which often results in illegal dumping and open burning of waste. It was also revealed that lack of established markets for recycling value chains and citizens participation in waste separation at source had resulted in limited success for recycling and 3R activities in the region.