CASE STUDY Project STOP
Project STOP helps turn the tide on plastic pollution
Supporting Indonesia’s journey towards a national waste management system and a more sustainable future
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Using technology to tackle plastic pollution
More than half of the world’s plastic waste leakage originates in just five countries—including Indonesia, which generates nearly 8 million tons of plastic waste every year. Many communities lack safe disposal options due to limited access to formal waste management systems, resulting in waste being burned or dumped in the environment. This contributes to the estimated 346,000 tons of plastic entering the ocean from Indonesia each year.
Co-founded by Borealis and Systemiq in 2017, Project STOP collaborates with public and private sector partners to develop and implement effective circular waste management systems and provide access to waste management services for households in Indonesia. This targets zero waste leakage, increasing recycling, creating jobs, and reducing the harmful impact of mismanaged waste on public health, the economy, the environment, climate change and biodiversity.
Following successful implementation in three Indonesian cities, Project STOP is now establishing a district-wide circular waste management system in Banyuwangi Regency, East Java. Project STOP Banyuwangi Hijau is further enabled by Borealis and Project STOP’s scale-up partner and funder Clean Rivers.
As part of the collaboration, Accenture Song created the Project STOP Banyuwangi Hijau App, an easy-to-use digital platform that streamlines waste management, facilitates fee collection, and provides data transparency to optimize the efficiency and impact of Project STOP.
73,220
metric tonnes of environmental leakage stopped
623,954
population served with waste collection
259
full-time equivalent jobs created
Numbers are based on Project STOP’s overall achievements in Indonesia from its inception in 2017 until June 2025.
Here’s how the app is replacing manual waste collection across Indonesia with data-driven management:
Project STOP is currently active in Banyuwangi, Java- a predominantly rural district with a population of 1.4 million. Initially, local Project STOP officers went door-to-door to enroll residents, providing bins and instructions on waste separation as well as collecting monthly fees—a time-consuming process that relied heavily on pen and paper.
To enable better management and scaling of Project STOP, as well as increasing transparency and traceability, Accenture Song developed the Banyuwangi Hijau app—a digital platform that uses a simple two-touch process to register residents, companies, and institutions, and to collect fees and installments, thus enhancing transparency and efficiency.
The app features a native Android front-end, tailored specifically for low-cost smartphones commonly used in rural Indonesian communities. The user-friendly interface is designed to work on older devices and in areas with poor internet connections: data can be stored on the device and synchronized later when connectivity is available. The app also has pre-downloaded map tiles which allow full functionality even in areas with limited or no internet access, and it displays the amount of waste and plastic collected.
All data, including collected fees and missing participants, is centralized on a dashboard to provide real-time visibility and improve decision-making. This includes tracking participation rates across villages and households, which enables targeted marketing campaigns—one of which led to a 30% increase in household participation within one month. The dashboard also monitors waste volumes and sorting efficiency at Material Recovery Facilities, helping to optimize collection frequency and improve recycling outcomes.
A cleaner, brighter future
The new digital platform has had a profound impact on both the environment and the local community. In addition to preventing waste from leaking into the environment, at the time of writing, Project STOP has created +259 full-time equivalent jobs since its inception, transitioning waste workers to formal employment and providing them with stable incomes. The fees collected provide the critical funding needed to finance the waste management system. Regular waste collection has led to a cleaner environment, and the app's efficiency has reduced operational costs and increased service effectiveness by making the registration process smarter and faster for waste operators and participating communities alike. The app also fosters systemic change through government partnerships and community education on sustainable practices.
The Project STOP Banyuwangi Hijau App developed by Accenture Song is a catalyst for real, sustainable change.
Mari Kylmälä / Manager Project STOP at Borealis