The growth of Semarang City has spread to the outskirts, particularly to the southern part of Semarang, which features urban densification. The city of Semarang is in a low-lying area, pressured by the rising sea level and a large amount of run-off from the mountainous region. The biggest water channel is the Semarang Canal, constructed during the Dutch colonial occupation. Semarang city generates 1,251.7 tons of waste per day, which is equivalent to 456,873.3 tons per year. Semarang City does not have the capacity to provide waste management services for the whole population. The city government lacks the financial capacity to cover waste collection transportation.
Through the Urban Ocean program, Semarang aims to identify gaps in its solid waste management system that contribute to leakage and leverage opportunities towards adapting waste management models and inclusive waste governance.
Project Statement
Adaptation Waste Management Models and Inclusive Waste Governance focuses on leading the circular economy transformation in Semarang, by increasing the waste service coverage, the amount of waste managed and recycling rates in the city through an inclusive model.
The Project Statement outlines the city’s vision for the project and the impact it aims to achieve, highlighting the urgency of the issue and the importance of taking immediate action.
Circularity Assessment Protocol (CAP) Report
Between October and November 2020, a team from the Initiatives for Regional Development and Environmental Management (IRDEM) at Diponegoro University, with guidance and support from the Circularity Informatics Lab, conducted fieldwork in the city of Semarang, Indonesia. The CAP was conducted with support from the city’s local government, Resilience Officers, and the larger Urban Ocean team.
The CAP, developed by the Circularity Informatics Lab at the University of Georgia, is a standardized method of collecting community-level data on plastic usage to inform decision-makers.
City Waste Management Profile
Semarang’s Profile highlights rapid urbanization and governance issues, with sprawling development straining transport and infrastructure. Resilience challenges include pollution and physical threats from its coastal geography. Opportunities lie in improving waste segregation, enforcing regulations, and scaling community-driven waste management models to enhance sustainability and resilience.
The City Waste Management Profile evaluates a city’s waste management system, identifying risks and vulnerabilities to support resilience, reduce plastic pollution, and foster tailored solutions.
Case Study
Community waste banks are a widespread phenomenon in Indonesia, providing small scale waste reduction whilst creating financial value for the community. Semarang has over 200 community waste banks. This case study describes its challenges and opportunities, using different examples that demonstrate how to create co-benefits from waste banks.
The case study series aims to highlight good examples in resilient urban waste management from across the world.
Urban Ocean is a capacity-building and accelerator program to end ocean plastic pollution and build more resilient communities in cities. Urban Ocean champions circular economy principles, builds awareness of ocean plastic, assesses waste management systems and supports cities to develop projects that address the interrelated challenges of ocean plastics and resilience. Since 2020, the program has been implemented in cities across Asia and Latin America. The program is jointly implemented by Resilient Cities Network, Ocean Conservancy and The Circulate Initiative.