FEATURES • SUPPLIERS
Waste Not, Want Not:
Wedoo’s Vision for a
Circular Economy
January 2025
Words & Photography by The Punch
Valerine’s story starts with a manta ray in Nusa Penida in 2017. She watched as this graceful creature glided through the ocean, only to find it encircled by plastic. At that moment, a thought struck her: “The fish sees plastic and can’t do anything about it.” This reflection ignited something within her—a realization that as humans, we are responsible for the waste polluting the sea. Still, unlike the manta, we have the power to change it.
Wedoo, based in Bali, is an environmental consultancy firm focused on manufacturing waste processing machines, offering solutions to drive communities toward a circular economy. Their collaborative approach benefits both the local economy and environmental sustainability, aiming to accelerate growth and development. Wedoo’s mission is to educate and engage everyone–from individuals to villages, businesses, and NGOs–by offering custom waste processing machines that address various waste streams.
These machines come with comprehensive support, including after-sales service, repairs, operation training, and assistance with new product development and workshops. Believing that waste processing plays an important role in creating a circular economy, Wedoo’s vision is to equip communities with the tools and knowledge needed to transform waste into a valuable resource. Their ultimate goal? To create a local circular economy on every island in Indonesia.
BUILDING A CIRCULAR FUTURE
It all began beneath the ocean’s surface for Valerie–this was the source of her journey into recycling and sustainability where her love of diving revealed the harsh reality of environmental damage. Armed with a background in environmental biology and architecture, she found her purpose in transforming waste into resources for construction. Driven by this vision, she joined forces with university friends in Canada, making small-scale recycling tools–starting humbly with a toaster oven and paper shredder. Over time, this turned into a campus recycling lab, complete with self-built machines, inspired by the open-source blueprints from Precious Plastic. This hands-on experimentation became the source of her work at Wedoo, where she now develops larger machinery and systems, building a resilient toolkit for the circular economy.
Valerie is aware of the steep challenges of recycling across Indonesia, especially on remote islands where waste management systems are scarce. At Wedoo, she and her team make machines uniquely suited to local needs, helping communities take waste processing into their own hands. Through partnerships with Bali businesses and NGOs like Potato Head and Sungai Watch, they recycle waste and transform it into conscious products–small acts with an impact that spreads wide. Valerine is deeply aware that education and practical tools are needed for building a circular economy, guiding Indonesia toward a future where waste is reimagined as a resource.
WEDOO'S TAILORED SOLUTIONS
Wedoo designs and builds machinery for both organic and non-organic waste management, made especially for clients to create value from various types of waste, locally. Their scalable, circular economy solutions are customized to meet the specific needs of villages, NGOs, and businesses. The process begins with a waste audit helping to determine the most appropriate machinery for each client. Once identified, Wedoo manufactures the machines and provides ongoing support through after-sales service, local machine operation guidance, repairs, warranty coverage, and sustainability reports.
Beyond machinery, Wedoo, through its sister company "Sayang," transforms waste into valuable products that help support the local economy, such as furniture and construction materials made from upcycled plastic. The Sayang upcycling lab also researches innovative uses of waste materials–including glass, plastics, and biomaterials–sharing findings with clients to expand sustainable solutions. Additionally, Sayang offers hands-on recycling workshops and provides an open studio for collaborative work, where individuals can use Wedoo’s recycling machines to work on their projects.
INNOVATIVE MACHINERY
The Wedoo’s waste management machinery includes the Shredder Pro, which processes up to 200kg of plastic waste per hour, a Crusher Machine for thin plastics like bottles and cups, a Sheet Press Set to create plastic boards of various sizes, an Injection Machine for molding smaller items like sunglasses and coasters, an Extruder Machine for larger construction materials from beams to bricks, and a Washing Machine to clean shredded plastic of pollutants, and a CNC Router machine that shapes recycled plastic sheets into various ready-made products.
For organic waste management, Wedoo has a range of innovative machines that help both individuals and industries handle it responsibly. Their lineup includes the Crusher Machine, Sieving Machine, Conveyor Machine, Organic Shredder, Maggot Feed Pulping Machine, Cocopeat Machine, and Composter/Aerobic Digester. Each machine offers different capacities and power options, which allows users to find the best fit for specific requirements. With these tools, customers have the power to shape a greener world–it’s a journey from refuse to renewal, a shift that brings fresh opportunities and an obligation to a regenerative future.
Wedoo’s approach is one of humble elegance, built on simple, replicable technology and a decentralized model that speaks to communities everywhere. Its designs are fluid and adaptable, ready to root in distant lands–from small islands in Indonesia to any community searching for a better future.
COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGIES
At Wedoo, it’s more than machinery; it’s about growing innovation and sustainability from the ground up. Their services–precision CNC, plasma cutting, and more–are the tools through which raw ideas are shaped into tangible, impactful designs. Yet, the heart of Wedoo’s work lies in the guidance they offer: consulting and planning which uses recycling concepts in the business, making waste management a practice of efficiency and respect for the earth.
In their studio, Wedoo welcomes creators to become part of this journey. Here, machines are rented, sleeves are rolled up, and visions take shape, building a community bound by the pulse of sustainability and creativity.
HOPE ON THE HORIZON
To Valerine, waste management isn’t just a logistical challenge, it’s a layered socio-economic puzzle and one that she approaches with an unshaken optimism for Bali’s future. She believes the island, with its deep connection to nature and tourism, is a beacon of environmental consciousness–a model for other Indonesian islands to follow. She envisions a path forward where responsible businesses make sure that wealth and ecological awareness flow back into Bali and its communities.
Valerine looks forward to co-develop and implementing innovative social and material solutions for daily life alongside local communities, governments, stakeholders, and NGOs to empower people with tools and knowledge to transform their waste into something valuable, useful, and beautiful out of waste and create a robust network of the localized circular economy across Indonesia and the world.
EXPLORE THE FULL STORY IN UNCOVERED BALI BOOK
Uncovered Bali is a collective project showcasing the sustainable journeys of carefully selected Bali businesses to a global audience. Each story highlights the unique impact these enterprises have on preserving Bali’s cultural and environmental heritage while driving positive change. Through this project, we aim to inspire global leaders, travelers, and communities to embrace more sustainable practices and appreciate the powerful role that local businesses play in shaping a better future.
EXPLORE THE PUNCH