Turning waste into community value in Indonesia

Since April 2024, Thiess has implemented a waste reduction program at their Melak project that converts waste into tangible benefits for the local community. In partnership with a government owned pawn shop company and the local environmental agency, collected waste can be exchanged for gold, creating both environmental and economic value.

Drop boxes for plastic bottles, cardboard and shredded paper were placed at key locations across the site and, to date, approximately 2,000kg of recyclable material has been sent to the Empakug waste bank, supporting circular economy principles and reducing landfill impact.

Looking ahead, the team aims to support the expansion of the local waste bank to include additional waste from other Thiess operations in the area, and the village of Sungai Danau. This support will include specialist equipment donations to enable processing of the waste and recyclable materials, training for local personnel to run the waste bank, and assistance with monitoring and waste data collection.

Members from the waste bank recently visited the Thiess team to express their appreciation, highlighting how these contributions are driving meaningful change in the local community