Six regions within Indonesia received the sixth ASEAN Environmentally Sustainable Cities (ESC) Award and the fifth Certificate of Recognition on Tuesday this week for their excellent implementation of sustainable environmental management techniques.
“Indonesia appreciates the ASEAN Environmentally Sustainable Cities (ESC) Award and the fifth Certificate of Recognition. We hope more ASEAN members will meet the assessment criteria for this award,” stated Ary Soedijanto, the Deputy for Climate Change Management and Carbon Economic Value, Governance of the Environment Ministry.
The regions that received the award are Banyumas District, Malang City, Bandung City, Padang City, and Ciamis District. Awards were given to the cities and agencies as ASEAN recognised that these areas successfully realised sustainable environmental management based on key indicators such as clean air, clean water, and clean land. New indicators including urban biodiversity, open green spaces, and the implementation of a circular economy were also considered.
Detailed Achievements
Banyumas District received the ASEAN ESC Award for its success in innovative and inclusive community-based waste management with 67% active waste banks, the implementation of the 3R principle, and the production of refuse-derived fuel (RDF). The region also manages 77% of its waste generation through innovative techniques such as TPS3R, maggot cultivation, composting, and environmentally friendly procurement. The district has now become a model for waste management in Southeast Asia and a regional learning destination.
Meanwhile, Malang City received the Certificate of Recognition in the Clean Air category for large cities. The government regularly conducts vehicle emission tests, implements reforestation by planting 518 trees, and reduces pollutant concentrations to meet international standards. The city’s current Air Quality Index has reached 88.36, positively impacting public health, economic productivity, and the quality of education.
In Bandung City, an innovative approach was developed to reclaim springs into multifunctional public spaces. This achievement significantly reduced diarrhoea cases and established the city as a leading example in ASEAN for waste management.
In Padang City, the Certificate of Recognition was given in the Circular Economy category for large cities by encouraging the transformation of waste management into economically valuable resources. Through waste banks, maggot cultivation, and environmentally friendly procurement of goods and services, the city is producing widely marketed recyclable products. Additionally, the integrated-based management facility TPST has a capacity of 200 tonnes per day at the Air Dingin landfill site. The site is also producing co-firing fuel for the cement industry, and additional TPST facilities based on composting, bio-conversion, and pyrolysis centres are under construction.
Local Efforts
The local governments in several districts are also promoting reduce, reuse, and recycle-based management facilities (TPS3R), along with creating community-based central waste banks. To facilitate green packaging, innovative programmes such as Sedekah Sampah—a ban on sacrificial plastic bags—are being implemented, along with motorcycle incentive schemes for top recyclers. Districts are also developing methane gas-to-energy projects in Indonesia.