The challenge for startups in the recycling sector is raising money at a time when investors are being held back by global macroeconomic uncertainties, rising interest rates and inflationary pressures. (Photo courtesy of The Incubation Network)

ASEAN's garbage economy: Startups turn plastic waste into consumer goods

Trash is transformed into chairs in Indonesia, floor tiles in Vietnam

DYLAN LOH, Nikkei staff writer

February 17, 2023 06:00 JST

SINGAPORE -- As a child, Syukriyatun Niamah was encouraged by her father to explore the beauty of Indonesia through camping and climbing. What she remembers was pollution: plastic waste strewn about in the open.

While the most populous nation in the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations possesses tourism gems like the idyllic resort island of Bali, discarded waste -- a byproduct of the country's rapid economic development -- has taken the shine off its otherwise attractive landscapes. Plastic packaging peppers some of Indonesia's rivers, at times clogging up waterways.