Starting 2024, President Joko Widodo Visit the First RDF Plant Facility in Indonesia

President Joko Widodo accompanied by the Minister of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR), Basuki Hadimuljono, visit the first municipal waste processing facility into alternative fuel or refuse-derived fuel (RDF) in Indonesia in Jeruklegi District, Cilacap Regency, Central Java, on Tuesday (2/1/2024).

This visit aims to take a closer look at the processing waste into RDF, from chopping to sieving. The waste processed at this facility comes from 14 sub-districts in Cilacap Regency, Central Java. 

"The RDF machine at the TPST has a waste processing capacity of up to 200 tonnes, but only produces 150 tonnes per day. "Well, this processed waste is capable of producing up to 60 tonnes of fuel or coal substitute products per day which are used to fuel furnaces for cement factories," said President Joko Widodo.

This waste processing facility into RDF with a capacity of 160 tonnes per day in Cilacap Regency, is the first RDF facility in Indonesia which was inaugurated by the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, on 21 July 2020.

The Cilacap RDF Plant facility that covers one hectare area, was built at the initiation of SIG's subsidiary, PT Solusi Bangun Indonesia Tbk (SBI) which implemented by collaborating with the Cilacap Regency Government, Central Java Provincial Government, Ministry of PUPR, Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK), and the Government Kingdom of Denmark. Apart from being the initiator, SBI is also the official operator and offtaker of RDF products produced to be used as alternative fuel to reduce the use of coal in cement production at the SBI Cilacap Factory.

SIG Operations Director, Reni Wulandari said, processing waste into alternative fuel is a breakthrough in using waste that is more eco-friendly and creates a circular economy for society. SIG determines the use of RDF as one of the decarbonization efforts which is the embodiment of the sustainability strategy pillars of Environmental Protection and Creating Value for Employees & Communities.

"As the population grows, waste has become a problem that has not yet been resolved. The application of RDF technology is one solution to help local governments create a healthier environment for the community and reduce landfill. On the other hand, RDF also helps coal-using industries such as the cement industry, to reduce carbon emissions from the production process and contribute to supporting the achievement of the carbon emissions reduction target launched by the government," said Reni Wulandari.

In 2020, the Cilacap RDF Plant succeeded in processing 21,965 tons of waste in Cilacap and produced 7,668 tons of RDF. This number continues to show an increase in the following years. Where in 2021, the amount of waste processed has increased to 44,581 tons and produced 20,168 tons of RDF. In 2022, the amount of waste processed again increased to reach 47,837 tons and produces 26,578 tons of RDF. Meanwhile, in 2023, RDF that has been used as an alternative fuel at the SBI Cilacap Factory will reach around 15 thousand tons.

Apart from using alternative fuel from  waste, SBI is also implementing a circular economy for the community through a social innovation program called Baruwani (Bala Runtah Watu Geni) which invites people to sort waste from their homes and process it into goods of economic value. Since 2019 to date, the SBI Cilacap Factory has provided assistance to 26 communities that are members of Baruwani.

The assistance provided includes training and assistance with waste sorting and processing facilities, such as sorting house facilities, scales, sewing machines, extruder machines, chopping machines, waste carts, etc. The products that have been successfully made by the Baruwani community include paving blocks, puppets, compost fertilizer, sandals, ecoprint products and runtik furniture or household furniture made from plastic waste. This social innovation program has succeeded in leading SBI to become the only cement company to receive Gold PROPER from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) in 2022.

SBI's success in implementing RDF technology in Cilacap has encouraged many local governments to replicate and realize RDF facilities in their respective regions. To date, SBI has collaborated with the Aceh Provincial Government, DKI Jakarta, Sleman Regency Government, Temanggung and become waste managers in Denpasar, Bali.