ECOTON CALLS FOR EMERGENCY ACTION AGAINST TOXIC DIOXIN IN TROPODO

Monday, May 19, 2025 — Thirty environmental activists from Ecoton held a meeting with Bahrul Amig, Head of the Environmental Agency of Sidoarjo Regency. Ecoton’s Executive Director, Daru Setyorini, presented feedback and suggestions regarding the crisis of plastic waste burning for tofu production in Tropodo.

“There are many alternative fuel sources to replace plastic, including biomass from coconut shell waste and market waste located near the tofu production center in Tropodo. Ecoton’s investigation found two tofu entrepreneurs who use wood,” explained Daru Setyorini. Further, the Steering Committee member of the Indonesian Zero Waste Alliance listed six Ecoton recommendations to stop dioxin pollution in Tropodo.

Strategic Recommendations for Short-Term Planning

1. Ban the use of imported plastic waste and plastic waste as fuel for tofu production in Sidoarjo. “Imported plastic waste is still the main fuel for the tofu industry in Tropodo, so the government must stop the source of imported plastic waste,” said Daru Setyorini. Ecoton’s research in Tropodo tofu production revealed the fuel composition still used as follows: 40% imported plastic scrap waste, 20% rubber, shoe/sandal soles, sponge and Styrofoam, 10% local multilayer plastic waste (sachets), 10% single-layer plastic, 10% coconut shell, and 10% wood.

2. Designate Tropodo as a Dioxin Emergency Area. One mitigation effort is to install air monitoring equipment as part of strict supervision and law enforcement against tofu producers using plastic fuel in Tropodo.

3. Subsidize the Use of Environmentally Friendly Energy. Besides plastic waste, some tofu entrepreneurs still use wood as fuel. The government could promote and subsidize alternative eco-friendly fuels.

Strategic Recommendations for Long-Term Planning
4. Stop the import of paper and plastic waste into Indonesia. Indonesia has been washing and processing waste from developed countries — a form of environmental colonialism that must end immediately. The profits gained by industries recycling imported waste do not outweigh the economic, social, and environmental burdens borne by Indonesia due to the environmental impacts caused. As a sovereign country, Indonesia must realize the plan to stop waste imports by 2025 and improve the domestic waste management system to replace dependence on imported waste for the recycling industry.

5. Optimize Local Waste as Raw Material for the Paper Recycling Industry without relying on imported waste. According to waste statistics from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK), Indonesia produces 73.2 million tons of waste annually, with paper waste comprising 12% or about 9 million tons, and plastic waste 20% or about 15 million tons. This potential for paper and plastic waste generation...

6. Demand that waste-exporting countries to Indonesia take responsibility for restoring dioxin toxin and microplastic contamination in Tropodo’s air. “We demand exporting countries to remediate dioxin contamination and stop waste colonialism. Exploiting other countries as dumping grounds is irresponsible and unethical, especially when the receiving country has limited capacity to manage domestic waste and struggles with funding, weak regulations, and low public awareness in improving waste management systems. Every country should be responsible for managing its own waste and stop shifting its waste problems to other countries,” said Aeshnina Azzahra, a young environmental activist from River Warrior.

Previously, on Sunday (May 18, 2025), the Regent of Sidoarjo banned the burning of hazardous and toxic waste (B3) at tofu factories in Tropodo Village. The government gave tofu entrepreneurs two weeks to stop burning B3 and plastic waste and seek more environmentally friendly energy sources. If after two weeks any continue burning B3 and plastic waste, the police and government will take action and impose sanctions.

“The Regent is working on alternative fuels, and the Environmental Agency is seeking energy sources and more effective furnace designs using wood or other fuels. The government is also considering the use of gas fuel as a replacement option,” said Bahrul Amig.

In the meeting, students from Universitas Brawijaya (UB) presented air monitoring results in the Sidoarjo area for airborne microplastic and PM2.5 and PM10 parameters. The monitoring found 65 microplastic particles in the air of Wonoayu, suspected to originate from motor vehicle emissions and plastic burning smoke in Tropodo.

Table of PM2.5 and PM10 Parameter Measurements in the Tropodo Tofu Industrial Area, Sidoarjo

 

Testing Time	Sample Location (Sub Village, Village)	Paremeter		Ambient Air Quality Standards (Government Regulation No. 22 of 2021, Annex VII)
		PM 2.5	PM 10
14 Juli 2023	Areng-Areng, Tropodo	302 µg/m³	-	PM 2.5 = 55 µg/m³ PM 10 =  75 µg/m³
14 Juli 2023	Klagen, Tropodo	224 µg/m³	-
14 Juli 2025	Balepanjang, Tropodo	153 µg/m³	-
7 Mei 2025	Wonoayu, Wonoayu (3 Km from Tropodo)	93 µg/m³	127 µg/m³
7 Mei 2025	Areng-Areng, Tropodo	690 µg/m³	812 µg/m³
7 Mei 2025	Areng-Areng, Tropodo	1349 µg/m³	1500 µg/m³
17 Mei 2025	Areng-Areng, Tropodo	1063 µg/m³	1401µg/m³

 

ECOTON urges the Sidoarjo Environmental Agency to regulate and clean up hazardous waste (B3) and plastic waste dumped by rogue industries using plastic, rubber, and hazardous waste as fuel in Tropodo tofu production. The disposal of plastic, rubber industrial waste, and hazardous waste to the tofu production center is illegal and must be strictly enforced.

ECOTON requests the Sidoarjo Environmental Agency to form an Anti-Plastic Tofu Task Force to intensively supervise plastic waste burning practices in Tropodo and take action against entrepreneurs who continue burning plastic and hazardous waste.

Daru Setyorini reminded that in 2020 the International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN) had already issued important recommendations regarding dioxin pollution in Tropodo. “I urge the Indonesian government to immediately ban the use of plastic as fuel, which is the source of dioxin pollution in Tropodo due to its long-term health impacts,” said Daru Setyorini. IPEN’s recommendations highlight three main points:

1. Immediately ban the burning of plastic as fuel for tofu production due to dioxin and other halogenated pollutant emissions in the smoke and ash.

2. Limit the use of synthetic fuels containing halogens from plastics, as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) will be released during combustion.

3. Remediate contaminated sites with dioxins and other POPs to ensure human health protection and prevent contamination of the food chain

4. Developed countries such as Australia, the United States, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom continue to send mixed paper waste along with plastic waste as raw materials for recycling. Plastic waste such as single-layer plastics, multilayer sachets, and household product containers are discarded into the environment and widely used as fuel in Tropodo.