Plastic Waste Fuels Factories in Indonesia as Health Risks Grow

Foreign plastic waste from countries like the US, UK, Australia, and Japan is being openly burned as fuel in tofu factories across East Java, Indonesia—raising alarming health and environmental concerns. According to The Guardian, around 60 tofu factories in the village of Tropodo rely on cheap, imported plastic scraps to fire up their boilers, choosing it over wood due to cost. A truckload of plastic costs just $13, compared to $130 for an equivalent load of wood.

Despite open waste burning being illegal in Indonesia, the practice is widespread. In Tropodo, the piles of plastic fuel often contain clearly marked packaging waste—dog food bags from New Zealand, cheese wrappers from France—discarded by wealthy nations. Much of this waste arrives hidden in contaminated paper imports meant for recycling. Local NGOs like Ecoton estimate that 70 tonnes of plastic are burned weekly just in Tropodo’s tofu operations.

Environmental scientists warn of serious health consequences. Tofu samples tested near the factories were found to contain microplastics, including fibers up to 1.76mm long. Toxic ash from the burning also enters the food chain, with eggs from nearby free-range chickens showing dioxin levels 48 times above safe daily limits. These toxins have been linked to cancer, reproductive harm, and immune system damage.

Factory owners say they would switch to safer fuel if it were affordable. Meanwhile, activists like Dr Daru Setyorini are calling out the deeper issue: the continued offloading of rich nations’ waste onto developing countries, a practice described as “waste colonialism.”

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