Evaluating Community Preferences for Waste-to-Energy Development in Jakarta: An Analysis Using the Choice Experiment Method

The Indonesian Presidential Regulation No. 35 of 2018 heralds a transformative agenda for producing electrical energy from biomass in an environmentally conscious manner. Jakarta emerges as a pivotal area in this transformation, with its strategic adoption of Waste to Energy (WtE) systems. In this study, we probe into the multiple layers of community preferences and the acceptance of WtE developments in Jakarta, factoring in an array of local concerns and policy-driven directives. Through a methodologically structured choice experiment, participants weighed in on various scenarios delineating shifts from the status quo to innovative WtE technological adoptions. we scrutinize a spectrum of attributes, each with defined status quo levels and proposed advancements: From enhancing awareness of landfill impacts (P1), escalating local policy commitments (K1) and integrating waste treatment facilities (F1) to diversifying waste processing outputs into liquid (PP1), solid (PP2), gas (PP3) and electricity (PP4). We also consider the transition from unmanaged landfills to controlled applications of landfill gas (PA1) and thermal treatment (PA2), as well as the initiation of emission and pollutant monitoring (M1).Our findings illuminate a significant public inclination to move beyond the current paradigms towards embracing WtE conversions, with particular willingness to support socialization of new waste processing technologies (P1), generation of energy in various forms especially liquid (PP1) and electricity (PP4) and implementation of environmental monitoring measures (M1). These attributes were marked by a notable willingness to accept (WTA) the proposed changes, signaling a readiness for policy and infrastructural advancements in waste management.