Pasuruan

Pasuruan is a coastal city located in Java, Indonesia’s fourth largest island. Pasuruan’s ocean plastic leakage levels are extremely high. Prior to Project STOP, 95% of the city’s waste was not formally collected, and in some regions of the city this number was close to 100%.

Project STOP’s city partnership, with the support of the regional government of Pasuruan, launched the city partnership in 2019, focusing on Lekok and Nguling municipalities to create a sustainable, low-cost waste management system that aims to increase collection rates and prevent plastics leakage to the ocean.

The local Project STOP team was in charge of governance and regulations, behaviour change, material collection, material processing, and organics management. They worked extensively with Pasuruan leaders to ensure engagement across the community, including: government officials (environmental agency, planning agency, cooperation department, education office, health office, and leadership at sub-village, village, subdistrict, and regency levels), religious leaders, universities, local activists, solid waste companies, and NGOs.

Working with local universities and subcontractors, Project STOP  completed three baseline studies:

• Social mapping to design a community engagement programme that met the needs of the community.
• Recycling infrastructure mapping, providing insights into existing waste systems from waste pickers to recycling end users and all steps in between.
• Waste characterization, showing which waste materials are available and how much value can be extracted.

Nestlé, along with strategic partners; the Government of Norway, NOVA Chemicals, Borouge, and the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, contributed financial support. SYSTEMIQ, which co-founded Project STOP with Borealis, provided strategic guidance and technical oversight, as well as day-to-day project oversight and management.

In March 2023 Project STOP Pasuruan was handed over to the government and community.