Awards for environmentally friendly firms

Awards for environmentally friendly firms

JAKARTA (JP): The city administration awarded on Wednesday
licenses to 27 companies and building operators allowing them to
discharge their treated wastewater into rivers.

The companies were given the awards after they passed the
health standard requirement set by the City Environmental Impact
Management Agency.

Deputy Governor of Development Affairs Boedihardjo Soekmadi
presented the licenses at a ceremony at City Hall.

"Most of the rivers in Jakarta are badly polluted. Therefore,
we must take action to save them," he said while addressing the
ceremony.

"Any action taken must consider not only the quality aspects
but also the quantity. Therefore, I urge all firms to implement
the 'zero waste' principle," he told the participants.

Zero waste means that there is no waste discharged from any
activities.

"This principle will preserve both the environment and
companies as well," added Budihardjo.

Earlier, head of the City Environmental Impact Management
Agency Aboejoewono Aboeprajitno told Budihardjo that there were
698 companies in the city which discharged wastewater to rivers.

"They have to send samples of their wastewater to the agency
every three months. The agency will take administrative and legal
action against companies which fail to do so," he said.

"That action will include warning letters and closing the
wastewater outlets. We will also pass complaints to the city
police for further investigation," he added.

There were 426 companies in 1999 which regularly sent samples
of their wastewater, while the remaining 272 companies did not
send any samples. Of the 426 companies, only 42 have shown good
results.

"However, from our field inspections, there are only 27
companies which meet the standard," said Aboejoewono, adding that
another 85 firms had average results and the other 299 bad
results.

Aboejoewono said it had become a classical excuse from
business people to say that constructing such treatment plant was
an expensive investment.

"That excuse is no longer valid. Several executives said that
they could even increase their efficiency rate by constructing
such treatment plants," he told The Jakarta Post.

"The next step is to implement the '3 R principle': reduce,
reuse and recycle. Implementing this principle will greatly
preserve our environment," he said.

Pharmaceutical factories, such as Kimia Farma, Merck Indonesia
and Pfizer Indonesia, dominated the list followed by food
factories, such as Khong Guan Biscuits, Friesche Vlag Indonesia
and Trebor Indonesia. Cosmetics producers Avon Indonesia and
Tancho Indonesia also joined the list.

The list also included hospitals: Pondok Indah and Tebet in
South Jakarta and St. Carolus in Central Jakarta, as well as the
Dai-Ichi and Borobudur Intercontinental hotels.

Avon Indonesia's director of manufacturing, Awang Hermani,
told the Post that investment for treatment plants was
considerably low.

"Our investment for the treatment plant was only Rp 35 million
in 1989. We add new installations every year at Rp 5 million. The
operational cost is only Rp 20 million each year," he said. (nvn)