Indonesian startup Waste4Change raises funds from Agaeti, East Ventures, SMDV

Indonesian waste management firm Waste4Change has received an undisclosed amount of investment from local VC firms Agaeti Ventures, East Ventures, and SMDV.

The startup plans to use the new funds to increase the capacity of its material recovery facility to about 2,000 tons per day in 2024 and develop smart city platforms for waste management, according to a statement.

Photo credit: Jonathan McIntosh

Citing data from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Waste4Change said that 69% of Indonesia’s waste goes to landfills, 23.5% is managed illegally by being burned, buried, or littered, and only 7.5% is recycled or composted.

To tackle this problem, the company plans to improve its waste management system on a larger scale by working with cities and districts in the country. It will develop a smart-city solution for waste management, which would cover waste issue monitoring, financing solutions for upstream-to-downstream waste management projects, and waste management socialization and education delivery.

Waste4Change looks to launch it this year.

The technology will later be developed together with Sampah Muda, a waste management startup that joined Waste4Change in January this year.

“We believe that technology support and active collaboration between stakeholders, such as the private sector, investors, government, and the community, are the main keys to implement Circular Economy and zero-waste Indonesia,” said Waste4Change managing director Mohamad Bijaksana Junerosano.

Founded in 2014, Waste4Change provides services that consist of four aspects: consult, campaign, collect, and create. These include responsible waste management consultation and education efforts, as well as responsible waste collection management and recycling services.

The company started off managing waste from only one office building. It has since expanded to serve almost 40 commercial areas and 2,000 homes.