Danantara's Denera optimising local workforce in WtE projects

Jakarta (ANTARA) - PT Daya Energi Bersih Nusantara (Denera), an integrated waste management company under Danantara Indonesia, is optimising the recruitment of local workers in its waste-to-energy (WtE) programme.

Denera's Chief Executive Officer Fadli Rahman highlighted the importance of involving various segments of society in both development and operation of WtE facilities.

"We are ensuring smooth collaboration with regional governments and stakeholders, which includes maximising the employment of local labor," Rahman said in an official statement received here in Jakarta on Saturday.​​​​​​​

Danantara Indonesia projected that constructing each of the planned 33 WtE plants across Indonesia require between 500 and 1,000 workers. Meanwhile, total employment spanning the construction to the operational phases is expected to reach 130,000 people.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Rahman added that waste management has become a generational and social issue that ultimately determine the quality of life for the public in the future.

Related news: Danantara forms Denera to expand waste-to-energy push

Therefore, he urged the community to support all waste management efforts, whether large or small, from upstream to downstream, ranging from simple waste sorting to the implementation of advanced processing technologies.

"Let us support every effort that provides a solution to Indonesia's waste problem," he said.

Separately, sustainability provocateur and founder of Social Investment Indonesia, Jalal, noted that developing WtE facilities must go hand in hand in bolstering a culture of waste sorting at the household, commercial, and industrial levels.

Challenge of waste management lies not only in the technology itself, but also in the characteristics of the waste, which is predominantly organic and has a high moisture content, as well as requiring sorting before further processing.

Jalal also noted the meaningful engagement of all affected communities must be an integral part of every WtE project, ensuring the public derivation of the ecological, economic, and social benefits from these initiatives.​​​​​​​

He stressed that local communities must be involved from the planning stage, granted transparent access to emissions data, and receive tangible benefits from the projects built.

"Without these, WtE risks losing the social legitimacy that serves as the very foundation of its sustainability," he said.

Related news: Indonesia pledges no job cuts as SOEs shrink to 250

Translator: Uyu Septiyati, Raka Adji

Editor: Fransiska Ninditya

Copyright © ANTARA 2026