Bali struggles to manage mountains of garbage

Bali struggles to manage mountains of garbage

Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali

Too many people are producing too much garbage on Bali,
spoiling the famed beauty of this paradise isle.

With millions of foreign tourists visiting Bali annually and
the rapid growth of the local population due to vast development,
the Bali administration is currently facing a very tough job
managing its mountains of garbage -- both industrial and
domestic.

In Denpasar, the provincial capital of Bali, garbage is
scattered throughout the city -- in the market and on every
street corner streets, reeking and creating an unhealthy urban
environment.

The Denpasar mayoralty has waged a war against garbage for the
past few years in an effort to create a cleaner and more pleasant
city.

Yet, the efforts are proving to be futile in the absence of an
effective waste management system. In neighboring areas like the
regencies of Badung and Tabanan, and Gianyar in Ubud, the problem
is even worse.

Denpasar alone produces around 1,525 cubic meters of garbage
per day, while Badung produces 755 cubic meters. Tabanan receives
360 cubic meters of waste per day, and Gianyar around 910 cubic
meters of garbage a day. These areas are all prominent tourist
destinations.

The Denpasar mayoralty has thus joined hands with these
regencies to deal with the garbage problem, which mostly stems
from a shortage of human resources, outdated technology and an
inadequate management system, and most importantly, a lack of
funds.

"Bali is well-known as an international tourist destination,
so our cities must be clean. Cleanliness and hygiene are our
utmost priority in maintaining Bali as a paradise for
holidaymakers as well as for the local population," said Erwin
Suryadarma, a Denpasar mayoralty spokesman.

The administrations of Denpasar, Badung, Gianyar and Tabanan
-- called by their acronym Sarbagita -- have set up a joint
sanitation agency to study and assess the most appropriate waste
management system to apply to the affected areas.

With Rp 80 billion (approximately US$ 10 million) in financial
assistance from the World Bank, the four administrations are
planning to construct an integrated waste processing plant on a
20-hectare plot of land in Suwung near the resort area of Sanur,
which is located some 15 kilometers east of Denpasar.

It is expected that the completed waste processing plant
will be able to process the garbage from Sarbagita for at least
20 years.

The Suwung dump site is located near Sanur beach and therefore
cannot be expanded further than its original plan.

Made Sudarma, the project's coordinator, said the new waste
facility should acquire the appropriate technology to process the
garbage.

It is estimated that in the next 20 years, the present dump
site would be full of layers of garbage. It is also expected that
the daily volume of garbage will double to 3,870 cubic meters for
Denpasar, 1,080 cubic meters for Badung, 1,360 cubic meters for
Gianyar and 660 cubic meters for Tabanan.

The local government cannot build the waste facility alone, so
13 investors have submitted their proposals to Denpasar.

The investors have to undergo a series of tests before a final
selection is made. In the preliminary test in early September, it
was found that only six out of 13 prospective investors met the
requirements to move on to the next tier of the process.

Sudarma explained that the six investors offered various
options of waste processing technology, including three from the
United States, Germany and China that offered incineration
technology, which produces electricity from processed waste.

Two investors from an Austrian-UK company and one from Germany
have proposed the biogas technology, which also produces
electricity from garbage.

The remaining investor from Australia offered the bio-culture
technology, which processes garbage into cattle feed.

On average, these advanced systems can process around 960 tons
to 1000 tons of garbage per day. In order to accommodate this
much garbage, a 20- to 22-hectare plot of land will be required.

However, Yuyun Ismawati, an environmental activist and
director of Bali Fokus foundation, suggested the local government
pay serious attention and be careful not to fall into the trap of
investors who offer low-cost technology.

"The incinerator system is an out-of-date and unsustainable
waste processing technology, which was replaced (by more advanced
technology) long ago in developed countries such as Japan," she
explained.

This technology releases toxic pollutants, such as dioxine,
into the environment.

"Dioxine is a very dangerous and toxic pollutant, and is also
a carcinogen. It will also affect the human immune system,
reproductive system and cause other physiological problems."

Yuyun recommended that the local government apply either the
biogas or the bio-culture waste processing technology.

"Unfortunately, if we use the biogas system, we will need to
procure larger plot of land to process the waste," she said.

Ideally, the garbage should be processed in several loads and
in separate locations. "We could build several dump sites and
waste processing plants in those areas with the proper
technology," she said.

She said what was more important was the active participation
of the community. "It is high time for the government to call on
to the people to start managing their own garbage. They have to
start sorting recyclables and non-recyclables in order to speed
up the sorting process at dump sites."

Sudarma said the government had already considered the
possible environmental impact of each type of technology offered
by the prospective investors, and that they must present further
details to a special team consisting of World Bank and local
experts.

"We will study all the possibilities comprehensively, as well
as their impact on the environment and the community. We cannot
confirm the location of the new dump site, as we are still
awaiting for official approval," Sudarma said.

The Denpasar mayoralty must have written permission from Bali
Governor I Dewa Made Beratha as well as the Ministry of Forestry
in regards the proposed Suwung site.

The Suwung area is known as a swampy area covered in mangrove
forests, and is vital in preserving the ecosystem and in acting
as a natural buffer against the ocean.

Yuyun reiterated her warning for the government as well as the
public to be careful in selecting any technological application:
"Don't use any low-cost processing technology that could damage
the environment."