Water recycling opportunity in the business sectors of Greater Jakarta, Indonesia

With an increasing population, the effects of climate change and limited water resources, water reuse is an option that must be explored in order to reduce the high water stress in Indonesia. This study aims to identify enablers of, barriers to, and opportunities for early adopters of water recycling in the business sector of the Greater Jakarta region of Indonesia, and to highlight the possibilities of its wider implementation in order to reduce water stress. Semi-structured interviews, desk reviews, and observations were conducted with eight enterprises. Most respondents demonstrated that their main purpose for recycling water is to reduce costs. Recycled water was mostly used where there are minimal possibilities of direct contact with people to reduce the impact of social barriers. While the absence of a clear legal framework was identified as another barrier to water recycling implementation, this can also serve as an enabler. The decrease in raw water quality makes water recycling a cost-effective solution. Considering all findings, water recycling in Indonesia has great potential to be more widely applied and to be supported by related stakeholders.