Probolinggo City Selected as a Pilot for the Indonesia-Germany Circular Economy Initiative through the InCircular Program
Probolinggo City has been selected as one of five pilot regions for the Promoting a Circular Economy in Indonesia (InCircular) project, a technical cooperation initiative between Indonesia’s Ministry of National Development Planning (Bappenas) and the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany, implemented in collaboration with GIZ Indonesia and ASEAN. Together with Gresik Regency, Malang City, Malang Regency, and Sidoarjo Regency, Probolinggo will develop circular economy models tailored to the specific characteristics and waste management challenges of each region. Among the five pilot areas, Probolinggo is considered the most prepared, with 77 percent of approximately 122 tons of daily waste generation already being managed. Its waste management system is supported by various community-based programs, including one waste bank and one three-wheeled waste collection vehicle for each community unit (RW), the availability of a Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) off-taker, and restrictions on the use of plastic shopping bags in retail centers. As a small coastal city, Probolinggo is expected to serve as a model for waste management and circular economy practices that can be replicated in other regions.
The InCircular program is designed to develop concrete and measurable circular economy models tailored to local conditions while addressing East Java’s waste management challenges. The province generates approximately 6.5 million tons of waste annually, of which only around 25 percent is considered optimally managed. Each pilot region faces distinct challenges: Gresik focuses on industrial waste and waste separation at source; Malang City on strengthening waste banks and digitalizing community-based waste management; Malang Regency on processing organic waste through composting and developing village-based circular economy models; and Sidoarjo on managing more than 1,200 tons of waste per day, predominantly food waste and plastics. As part of the Green Economy agenda under Indonesia’s 2025–2029 National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN), the program emphasizes that successful circular economy implementation depends not only on infrastructure, but also on source-level waste separation, stronger institutions and financing mechanisms, community participation, and collaboration among the central government, local governments, and international partners.
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