Inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. Minister of Finance Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has introduced a new policy to recycle illegal imported secondhand clothing and bags and sell part of the processed materials to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). 

The shift aims to stop the long-standing practice of burning seized goods, which the government says is costly and wasteful.

“It’s a loss. We even have to feed the detainees. It’s a big loss for the state, so we want to change it,” Minister Purbaya said on Friday (14/11/2025) at the Ministry of Finance. 

He noted that destroying a single container of illegal secondhand clothing and bags costs the government around Rp 12 million.

The Ministry is partnering with the Indonesian Garment and Textile Association (AGTI), which proposed recycling the seized products into raw materials. President Prabowo Subianto has approved the plan, and AGTI members are preparing to execute it.

Processed materials will be used by industry players and sold cheaply to MSMEs, with distribution coordinated through the Ministry of MSMEs.