Clearing the Air: How CLOCC is Phasing Out Open Waste Burning in project sites in Indonesia

Data from implementing the CLOCC Waste Masterplans in Tabanan (Bali) and Tegal (Central Java) demonstrates that combining village regulations with improved waste services can break the cycle of open burning.

In many parts of rural Indonesia, the sight and smell of burning waste in backyards (known locally as tebe) has long been a daily reality. Driven by limited collection services and weak regulations, households often have no choice but to burn their trash to manage it.

However, recent results from the Clean Oceans through Clean Communities (CLOCC) Programme, supported by Norad, and implemented with partners Go Circular, Indonesia Solid Waste Association (InSWA) and RPW (Rijid Pradana Wetan) show that this trend is reversible. By implementing Integrated Sustainable Waste Management (ISWM) systems in Tabanan Regency (Bali) and Tegal Regency (Central Java), the programme is proving that open burning can be made both unacceptable and unnecessary.

The Scale of the Challenge

Prior to intervention, the environmental cost of waste mismanagement was stark. In Tabanan Regency alone, waste leakage rates hovered around 47%, with daily waste generation topping 422 tons. In the village of Wongaya Gede, baseline data revealed that more than 50% of households and 61% of businesses burned unsorted waste.

The situation was similar in Tegal Regency, where villages without formal collection systems relied heavily on open dumping and burning, contributing significantly to local air pollution.

A Two-Pronged Approach: Bans and Alternatives

The CLOCC approach operates on a simple premise: you cannot ban burning without providing a better alternative. The strategy combines strict local governance with practical service improvements:

Legal Frameworks: In Tabanan, pilot villages like Bengkel and Dauh Peken adopted official Village Regulations (Perdes) that formally prohibit open burning. This provided a legal basis for enforcement.

Infrastructure Upgrades: Simultaneously, the programme upgraded local facilities. In Tegal’s Kertasari village, the waste facility now acts as a regional hub, processing 3 tons of waste daily from five neighboring villages, providing a service that eliminates the need for backyard burning across the wider area.

Community Mobilization: In Bali, "waste cadres" were trained to monitor compliance and educate neighbors. In Tegal, incentives and local jingles were used to encourage households to subscribe to new collection services.

Measurable Impact on Air Quality and Leakage

The results of these interventions offer a promising blueprint for other regions fighting air pollution:

In Wongaya Gede (Bali): The combination of monitoring and better services drove the recycling rate from 35.45% to 65.99%, drastically reducing the combustible residue left at the household level.

In Bengkel (Bali): Waste leakage dropped from 52.28% to 33.98%, reflecting a direct decline in illegal dumping and burning.

In Dukuhbangsa (Central Java): A village that previously had zero formal waste management saw an immediate shift away from burning as households subscribed to newly established collection services.

A Model for Replication

The projects in Tabanan and Tegal demonstrate that open burning is not an inevitable cultural norm, but a symptom of systemic failure. When communities are given reliable collection services, composting options for organics, and clear regulations, they willingly shift away from burning.

By preventing waste from leaking into the environment, the CLOCC programme is not just cleaning the oceans, it is clearing the air for rural communities across Indonesia.