Bandung mayor's wonder bag

Bandung mayor's wonder bag

From Pikiran Rakyat

Bandung Mayor Ateng Wahyudi has received many complaints from residents around the Bandung Institute of Technology campus. What could the problem be?

On Saturdays horses are brought from Lembang, Ujungberung, Dayeuhkolot and Banjaran to Ganeca Park in front of the institute. On Sundays the park becomes a horse track for young riders

Residents have filed complaints, particularly about horse manure in the streets. People have appealed to the mayor because it was he who launched the Bandung Berhiber program promoting cleanliness, greenery and flowers galore.

The mayor then passed the buck to the institute's students who have an interest in their environment. The students organized a competition for the best bag design to contain the manure. The selected designs may be anything among the following: a plastic bag attached to the horse's tail, a pair of shorts or a simple device like a cork to prevent any mess.

Mang Kardi, former garden conservationist in Bandung, came up with a simple proposal: horse owners should collect the manure by using a coconut-midrib broom, a shovel and a dustpan, and dump it all at a designated place. The manure may be used as fertilizer on Bandung's gardens.

We look forward to having the winning bag design. Ateng Wahyudi's term of office will enter history as "the era of bagged horse manure".

DANA SETIADI

Bandung, West Java