Zenbird Editorial TeamJOYCLE Co., Ltd. has signed a memorandum of understanding for a joint research initiative on decentralised medical waste management and digital monitoring. Under the agreement signed on 27 August, the Tokyo startup is partnering with the Research Center for Environmental and Clean Technology, an institute under Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency. The project will take place at the B.J. Habibie Science and Technology Park in South Tangerang, Banten Province.
Indonesia generates approximately 294.7 tonnes of medical waste per day, while licensed treatment operators can handle roughly 187.9 tonnes daily. The country’s authorised processing facilities are heavily concentrated on Java. It creates logistical bottlenecks and rising transport costs when moving hazardous hospital waste from outlying islands.
The project will test the JOYCLE BOX, a small on-site processing plant designed to convert medical waste into reusable resources without transportation or incineration. Operations will be monitored via JOYCLE BOARD, an internet-of-things data platform that tracks temperature, oxygen levels and emissions estimates in real time.
Testing parameters include verifying a pathogen decomposition rate of at least 99.99 percent and assessing operational compliance with Indonesian environmental standard PP No. 22 Tahun 2021. The team will also examine whether leftover inorganic carbon residue can be upcycled into construction materials. Project estimates indicate potential waste processing cost reductions of 30 to 50 percent compared to conventional centralised disposal.
Under the partnership, the research centre will carry out technical verification, emissions audits and policy brief drafting for remote islands, while JOYCLE supplies equipment and operator training manuals. The trial follows an agreement signed with LoopNet Asia in Vietnam in March 2026. Both are at demonstration stage.
[Reference] JOYCLE Information (Japanese)
