Advancing Digitalization in Waste Management to Drive Circular Economy

Sirsak had the opportunity to take part as a key speaker at Ruang Bincang Energi (RuBEn) #22 with the theme "Advancing Waste Utilization to Drive Circular Economy and Clean Energy Innovation", a discussion forum hosted by Bincang Energi. In this session, Sirsak joined Akhmad Kunio Fadlullah Pratopo, Strategic Planner & Supply Chain Analyst at PT PLN Energi Primer Indonesia, and Akbar Pandu Wijaksono, Process Engineer at PLTSa, in an insightful discussion on one of the most critical challenges and opportunities in transforming waste into valuable resources within Indonesia’s sustainability and energy transition agenda.

Scaling Circular Packaging Solutions Through Digitalization and Community-Led Impact

Representing Sirsak, Janice, Senior Project Manager at Sirsak, shared key insights into the realities of Indonesia’s waste management system and highlighted the urgent need for systemic change. Janice emphasized that Indonesia’s waste problem is far more complex than commonly perceived. It is not solely about whether individuals sort their waste at home.

Structural issues, such as limited collection infrastructure, inefficient supply chains, and uncertainty within the recycling market, significantly impact whether waste can actually be recovered and reused. Without addressing these interconnected challenges, long-term and meaningful progress will remain out of reach. For this reason, systemic transformation can only happen through multi-stakeholder collaboration across sectors.

Sirsak’s End-to-End Approach to Waste Management

Sirsak carries a bold mission to manage 100,000 tons of packaging waste by 2030 while ensuring social security coverage for 5,000 waste sector workers, the backbone of the circular economy yet often overlooked.

To achieve this mission, Sirsak works across the entire waste value chain, addressing critical gaps in Indonesia’s waste management system. From collaborating with producers and strengthening waste banks to empowering waste pickers and ensuring materials reach recyclers, Sirsak delivers end-to-end waste management that is transparent, accountable, and truly circular. By connecting every point in the chain, Sirsak ensures waste is not only collected but also responsibly managed and transformed into lasting environmental and social impact.

Sirsak partners with producers through the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme, helping them take responsibility for in a measurable and transparent way. One of the key highlights of Sirsak’s innovation is in handling multi-layer plastic (MLP). This type of packaging, such as sachets and snack wrappers, is dominant in daily consumption but rarely collected due to having little to no resale value. MLP is particularly challenging because it consists of multiple material layers, making it difficult to recycle.

In this process, Sirsak actively engages multiple stakeholders:

1. Consumers and schools, through education and awareness programs

2. Waste banks, by strengthening their operational capacity with innovative technology

3. Waste pickers and vendors, by integrating them into a more secure and fair system

4. Recycling industries, by ensuring collected materials are properly managed

Through collection incentives and advanced sorting technology, Sirsak successfully collected 30 tons of MLP in just one year, transforming it into plastic pellets and new products with real economic value. This achievement proves that even the most challenging waste streams can be effectively managed with the right systems, technology, and partnerships.

👉 Discover how Sirsak’s solutions can support your sustainability goals.

Innovative Technology Empowering Accountability and Impact Across Waste Management Systems

On the ground, Sirsak sees most of the waste banks are held back by manual record-keeping and operational inefficiencies. This insight led to the development of SPoP (Sirsak Point of Purchase), a digital application that replaces paper-based logs with real-time, structured data. By digitizing transactions at the source, SPoP empowers waste banks to work faster, more accurately, and data-driven systems.

The STrace (Sirsak Traceability) Dashboard connects every dot along the waste journey. From households and waste banks to aggregators and recycling facilities, STrace provides full visibility into how materials move across the ecosystem. This innovation supports producers for a seamless proof of impact for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) requirements. For decision-makers, it unlocks actionable insights to design smarter, more effective waste policies.

Finally, technology can connect the system but only collaboration across businesses, government, communities, and innovators can transform it, turning waste challenges into shared, scalable impact. As Janice emphasized during her session, “The waste problem cannot be solved by one party alone. We all must take action, starting with simple steps like sorting waste at the source.”

Collaboration is the key to unlocking a truly circular and inclusive waste management system in Indonesia. If your business is looking to fulfill EPR commitments, improve waste traceability, or create measurable environmental and social impact, Sirsak is ready to collaborate!