Project Stop, co-founded by Borealis and Systemiq in 2017, is moving forward with phase 3 of its programme in Banyuwangi Regency, East-Java, Indonesia.
The waste management project in Banyuwangi has already built a material recovery facility and is currently building a second, fully funded by Borealis, scheduled to start operations this year.
Now, the project is welcoming United Arab Emirates-based non-profit Clean Rivers as a scale-up partner. The goal is to establish Indonesia’s first Regency-wide waste management system in Banyuwangi.
Clean Rivers will provide an undisclosed sum in funding to expand the project, providing up to 850,000 people with access to the new material recovery facilities and an affordable, end-to-end waste management system while creating up to 1,000 full-time jobs.
The funding is part of the UAE’s $20 million commitment to Indonesia for waste management and clean-up projects.
The partnership was launched at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Feb. 12, 2025.
“We are honoured to welcome Clean Rivers as our scale-up partner in Project Stop Banyuwangi Hijau,” said Markus Horcher, director sustainability & public affairs at Borealis.“Collaboration remains key in addressing the complex issue of marine littering. We are grateful for Clean Rivers’ deep-seated commitment to partner with the Indonesian government, the communities and us to achieve our common ambitious goals of Project Stop in Indonesia.”
In a 2020 report, the United Nations estimated that Indonesia produces 3.2 million tonnes of unmanaged plastic waste a year, of which about 1.29 million tonnes end up in the sea. While its plastic recycling rate stands at only 7%, the country has recently introduced five key strategies to reduce ocean plastic pollution by 70% in 2025. These focus on reducing plastics production and use, diminishing land- and sea- leakage, improving behavioural change, and stepping up funding mechanisms, where support from international organisations are expected to play an important role.
As od 2023, Project Stop has collected 8,755 tonnes of plastic, stopped 7,311 tonnes of plastic from leaking into the environment, created 290 full-time jobs, and served 393,280 people with waste collection services.