BADUNG, BALI – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael S. Regan met with private sector partners, youth activists, and other stakeholders at the PT Reciki Solusi Indonesia (Reciki) waste processing facility in Jimbaran, Bali, to view firsthand how the company is working innovatively to address Indonesia’s solid waste management challenges. Administrator Regan is in Indonesia for the G20 Environment and Climate Ministerial Meeting on August 31 in Bali.
A privately-owned waste management company with two processing facilities, Reciki is poised to expand its operations with funding from investment management firm Circulate Capital’s “Ocean Fund.” The investment was facilitated through a loan guarantee provided by the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The Ocean Fund capital will enable Reciki to establish several new facilities in East Java and Bali in the coming years.
“Communities across the globe have struggled with the impacts of waste management challenges, but my visit demonstrated that the solutions are within our grasp,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Working together with our international partners like Indonesia, the private sector, and the next generation of environmental leaders we can advance these innovative solutions and build stronger, more resilient, and cost-effective waste management systems that protect people and our planet.”
After touring Reciki’s materials recovery facility with Reciki CEO Bhima Aries Diyanto, Badung Regency’s Head of Environment and Sanitation Agency Drs. I Wayan Puja, M.Si., and Danone Indonesia Director of Sustainable Development Karyanto Wibowo, the Administrator engaged with Indonesian alumni of the U.S. Department of State’s Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) cultural exchange program and Reciki Youth Program participants in a roundtable discussion exploring the role of communities and the perspectives of youth around waste management issues.
“The purpose of this visit is to share the realities of waste collection,” said Bhima. “Operators need much greater support from local governments in enforcing regulations, sustained education within schools and homes around waste separation, and continued support from partner NGOs. The corporate sector also needs greater involvement – it cannot be left to just one or two companies. Waste management is everyone’s issue.”
Joining at the event at Reciki were representatives from private sector company Danone Indonesia, an early Circulate Capital Ocean Fund co-investor. Danone-AQUA invests in waste processing facilities in Bali and works with NGOs and partners like Reciki to educate communities and youth. The company is also committed to the circular economy, using recycled plastic sourced from Reciki in its many products.
“Danone-AQUA believes in driving a circular economic ecosystem with efforts like our #BijakBerplastik [‘Use Plastic Wisely’] campaign,” said Director of Sustainable Development Karyanto Wibowo. “Some Danone-AQUA bottles already contain up to 25 percent recycled PET. Our long-term commitment is to design innovative 100 percent recyclable plastic packaging – and this goes hand-in-hand with our community education efforts.”
Circulate Capital’s Ocean Fund invests in early-stage, high-impact projects in the recycling and waste management sectors to reduce ocean plastic and combat environmental degradation in South and Southeast Asia. The U.S. Development Finance Corporation covers up to $35 million in debt investments in its loan portfolio guaranty, a collaborative project with USAID.
