City no closer to solving garbage problem<\/p>\n
Evi Maryani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Jakarta produces more than 6,000 tons of garbage every day,
\nand its disposal has become a growing concern.<\/p>\n
The latest agreement between the city administration and the
\nBekasi municipality allows the city to use the Bantar Gebang dump
\nsite in Bekasi until the end of this year.<\/p>\n
However, the agreement, which has cost the city administration
\nRp 8.75 billion (about US$983,000), does not guarantee that
\nJakarta can continue to use the dump afterwards.<\/p>\n
\"I have told the City Sanitation Agency many times to stop
\nJakarta's dependency on using other areas, even though the land
\nbelongs to the city. We have to abandon using a landfill at the
\ndump,\" said Governor Sutiyoso.<\/p>\n
Since the dispute erupted over the Bantar Gebang dump, the
\nadministration has been seeking alternative ways in which to
\ndispose of Jakarta's 6,000 tons of garbage. \"We've been pulling
\nout all the stops to find a new way to manage waste,\" said
\nSelamat Limbong, the chief of the City Sanitation Agency.<\/p>\n
Since 2001, the administration has signed six memorandums of
\nunderstanding (MOUs) with investors who plan to establish
\ncompanies that will turn garbage into electricity, compost and
\nethyl alcohol.<\/p>\n
However, of the six memorandums signed, only one has shown any
\npromise.<\/p>\n
PT Wira Gulfindo is building a plant in Bojong, Bogor, which
\nwill be ready to operate in June. The plant will be able to
\nprocess 1,500 tons of garbage a day, which will be sorted
\nbeforehand by scavengers. Waste that cannot be reused or recycled
\nwill be compressed into a solid material that will not emit a
\nsmell.<\/p>\n
\"What happens to that solid material is not our problem
\nanymore. We will let the company handle that,\" said Selamat.<\/p>\n
He said that the administration would supply 1,500 tons of
\ngarbage every day and pay the company Rp 53,000 for each ton.<\/p>\n
Besides the plant in Bojong, the administration has also
\nsigned a memorandum with PT Interindo Global to build a plant in
\nDuri Kosambi, West Jakarta. The plant will process 1,000 tons of
\ngarbage every day into solid and liquid fertilizer.<\/p>\n
\"I hope construction of the plant can start in April,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, another memorandum, signed with an investor from
\nChina to process at least 1,000 tons of garbage into electricity,
\nhas not shown any progress since it was signed in August last
\nyear.<\/p>\n
\"We had planned to put the plant in Marunda, North Jakarta,
\nsince it is beside the sea and the technology requires a lot of
\nwater. But we don't have any land there and we also don't have
\nenough money to buy land to clear an area for it,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The three other memorandums have also been hampered by various
\nobstacles, such as technical and financial difficulties.<\/p>\n
There is no clear or definite solution for Jakarta's waste
\ndisposal problem on the horizon.<\/p>\n
Selamat Limbong said that time was running out.<\/p>\n
\"We are struggling to settle some deals to manage the garbage
\nin a new, innovative way -- one that is profitable for us. If
\nother countries can do it, why can't we?\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said the administration was still open to new investments
\nfor processing garbage in Jakarta. \"The administration has land
\nin Tegal Alur, West Jakarta, but it is a swampy area so it will
\nneed to be developed before any construction can take place. If
\nthere is any investor that wants to build a plant there, we can
\nassist in providing the infrastructure, such as asphalt roads, to
\naccess the area,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/city-no-closer-to-solving-garbage-problem-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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