The last box on moving day nearly always holds the things nobody knows what to do with: a charger with a frayed cable, two old phones, a power bank that has started to swell, a handful of AA batteries and a dead light bulb. None of it belongs in the kitchen bin. Indonesian rules class it as specific waste, and it has to leave the house a different way.
The government has spelled out the list. Annex I of Minister of Environment and Forestry Regulation No. 9 of 2024 gives 28 examples of household electronic waste, among them lithium and non-lithium dry-cell batteries, phones and other communication devices, laptops, printers, fans, irons, washing machines, air conditioners, televisions, lamps, power banks and battery-powered toys.
Why It Can't Go in With the Rest
Government Regulation 27/2020 on Specific Waste Management puts "electronic goods no longer used" into the category of waste containing hazardous and toxic substances, known in Indonesia as B3 (Article 5(2)(c)). Article 10 of Ministerial Regulation 9/2024 then requires "every person at the source" to sort this waste, with electronics as a separate group. The source is your house. On top of that, Article 29(1)(c) of Law 18/2008 has long banned mixing waste with B3 waste.
The practical reason is fire. In August 2023 the Nangkaleah landfill in Tasikmalaya Regency caught fire. Asep Taufiqurohman, head of the regency's fire service unit, told Media Indonesia he suspected a used phone battery that exploded in the dry-season heat. Kota Bekasi's household waste ends up at the Sumur Batu landfill, which the city's environment agency described as overloaded (Kompas, 15 January 2026). Lithium batteries crushed in a garbage truck or a waste pile add to the same risk.
Sorting Before the Moving Truck Arrives
1. Batteries and power banks first. Tape over both terminals so they can't touch each other. Keep them in a dry box away from heat, not in a plastic bag with keys or coins. Don't press, puncture or recharge a swollen power bank.
2. Wrap lamps whole. Fluorescent tubes and CFL energy-saving bulbs usually contain a small amount of mercury, so try not to break them. Wrap them in newspaper or put them back in their original box.
3. Phones and laptops: wipe and pull the cards. Sign out of every account, do a factory reset, then take out the SIM and memory card. Anything that still works is more useful sold or given away than thrown out.
4. Paint, thinner and spray cans go in the pile too. The same annex lists used aerosol cans and containers for floor cleaner, paint, thinner and medicine as waste containing B3. Leftover paint from touch-ups before the move counts.
5. Sort the big items as well. Large household appliances, such as an old fridge or washing machine, fall under the rules for bulky waste. Article 52(2) of Regulation 27/2020 sorts bulky waste into parts containing B3, parts that can be reused, parts that can be recycled, and the rest. Anything that still runs can go to a repair shop or a second-hand buyer.
One lidded box is enough for a household. Keep it in the garage or under the stairs, label it "B3 / electronics", and keep it out of children's reach.
Cluster Managers Have Duties Too
Regulation 9/2024 doesn't stop at residents. Its annex names residential areas "in the form of clusters" as a waste source, and requires managers of residential areas to provide area-scale sorting bins for B3 waste (Article 11(1)) and a temporary B3 holding point called a TPSSS-B3 (Article 20(1)). The bin colours are set as well: red for household products containing B3, orange for their packaging, black for electronics, and brown for expired or spilled B3.
On the ground, the four-colour bins may not exist yet. At key handover or the first residents' meeting, ask the estate manager or the RT committee whether there is a collection point for B3 waste and who takes it away. Ordinary sorting at the neighbourhood level is covered in our article on waste banks and cluster sorting; electronics are usually the category that isn't handled there yet.
Where to Take It From Bekasi Utara
National rules split collection into two. For ordinary residential areas (the elucidation of Article 16 of Regulation 27/2020 gives housing as an example), the mayor collects at a specific-waste facility, or FPSS (Regulation 27/2020 Article 16(2); Ministerial Regulation 9/2024 Article 14(a) and Article 15(1)). For areas with their own manager, clusters included, the job falls to the area manager (Ministerial Regulation 9/2024 Article 14(b)).
At city level, Perda 15/2011 on waste management still requires sorting into at least three types, one of them B3 (Article 18). Perda 9/2017 deleted Articles 32 to 35 in the bylaw's specific-waste section, including the provision on producer collection points. As of 4 October 2026, the Kota Bekasi government website and its legal database do not yet list an e-waste collection point from the city's environment agency. If you know of one, tell us on WhatsApp.
Options worth checking:
| Route | Notes as of 4 October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Jakarta environment agency e-waste drop boxes (ewaste.dinaslhdki.id) | 85 drop-off points. The nearest to Bekasi Utara include Rawa Bebek flats in Cakung, Duren Sawit, and Jl. Bekasi Timur No. 2 in Pulogadung. Home pickup is for Jakarta addresses only. The site doesn't say whether non-Jakarta residents may drop off. |
| Retailer and brand programmes | AZKO's (formerly ACE) BISA BAIK programme was still running as of August 2025. erafone's Jaga Bumi programme mentions 10 store drop boxes in Jakarta, Bogor, Depok and Bekasi, with no address list. Call the store before you go. |
| Kelurahan office or Kota Bekasi environment agency | Ask directly about a specific-waste collection facility in your area. |
| Repair, sell or give away | For anything that still works or can be fixed. |
If you can't get to any of these yet, the B3 box at home already handles the riskiest part: batteries and lamps stay out of the daily garbage truck. The rest of the move, from electricity to your new address, is in our new-home moving checklist.
Whether you're moving into a Rumah Emerald 70 on Jl. Raya Perjuangan, Bekasi Utara, or any other new house, before handover also run an electrical check on the new house so the electronics you bring don't turn into waste through a short circuit.
Frequently asked questions
Can used AA batteries go in the normal bin?
No. Dry-cell batteries, lithium or not, are listed in Annex I of Regulation 9/2024 as electronic waste, and Article 10 of the same regulation requires everyone to sort them at home. Keep them in a separate box.
Who has to provide B3 bins in a cluster housing estate?
The manager of the residential area, which Annex I of Regulation 9/2024 says includes cluster-type estates. Article 11(1) requires area-scale sorting bins, and Article 20(1) requires a temporary B3 holding point (TPSSS-B3).
What should I do with a swollen power bank?
Stop using and charging it. Don't press or puncture it. Keep it in a dry container away from heat, then hand it in at an e-waste drop box.
Sources: Law 18/2008 on Waste Management; Government Regulation 27/2020 on Specific Waste Management; Minister of Environment and Forestry Regulation 9/2024 on Waste Containing B3 and B3 Waste; Kota Bekasi Perda 15/2011 and its amendments; Media Indonesia (27 August 2023); Kompas (15 January 2026); ewaste.dinaslhdki.id location list accessed 4 October 2026.
Planning a move to Bekasi Utara?
Ask our team about the handover schedule and available Rumah Emerald 70 units on Jl. Raya Perjuangan.
Chat on WhatsAppRelated reading on the Kingspoint Blog
- Waste Bank and Sorting in a Cluster: Lower Fees, Cleaner Streets
- Moving Into a New Home Checklist: From Packing to Admin
- Kota Bekasi Charges Its Household Waste Levy by Floor Area, Not Electricity Capacity
- New House Electrical Audit Before Move-In: 7 Mandatory Checks
- 223 Fires in Bekasi City by Early August, and Two Causes That Keep Repeating