Semarang City, Makassar City, and Ambon City are the pilot cities of the implementation of the Clean Cities, Blue Ocean (CCBO) project. Partnering with local partners and international experts, CCBO is implementing and testing relevant and sustainable local approaches to reduce plastic waste that drifts into the sea. Semarang City is one of its focus due to several factors, including (1) the lack of significant action in improving waste management; (2) the implementation of waste sorting still needs to be improved; and (3) the neglect of waste processing facilities. In Semarang CCBO appointed Yayasan Bina Karta Lestari (BINTARI) as the project implementer to support increasing community capacity to manage TPS 3R and Waste Bank to improve the implementation of 3R and the 3R market. BINTARI focuses on 11 urban villages by assisting 6 TPS 3R and 5 Waste Banks.
For two years, through the CCBO program, BINTARI has implemented five crucial aspects to strengthen community waste management services and improve upstream waste management. The five aspects are 1) Operational Technical Aspects, 2) Institutional Aspects, 3) Community Participation Aspects, 4) Regulatory/Policy Aspects, and 5) Financial Aspects. The comprehensive approach with these five aspects is one of the important achievements of the CCBO project in Semarang City. For example, BINTARI assists TPS 3R which was previously not fully operational, now it can operate. BINTARI is here to provide comprehensive technical assistance according to their needs, not only to strengthen TPS 3R services but also to encourage changes in local community behavior in waste sorting. Strengthening TPS 3R services through the support of sorted waste transport equipment accompanied by assistance in making services more efficient is also very beneficial. As a result, the amount of sorted waste that has been successfully "saved" by TPS 3R has now increased, as has TPS 3R's income from the sale of inorganic waste.
Until the CCBO project in Semarang City was officially completed on April 17, 2024, as many as 1,428 households and 63 non-households participated in the TPS 3R service and as many as 689 people participated in the Waste Bank service assisted by the program. Meanwhile, CCBO in Semarang City has succeeded in carrying out material management. The Waste Bank and TPS 3R has managed the total of 1,213 tons of waste. Of that amount, 190 tons are recycled waste including 44 tons of plastic waste.