City told to draft garbage law

City told to draft garbage law

Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, Bogor

The Jakarta administration renewed demands for a law on the
management of waste which is crucial to resolve the current
garbage crisis.

"A bylaw made by each region will not be enough because the
issue goes beyond borders," said Rusman Sagala, head of
operational division at the Jakarta Sanitation Agency.

He was speaking in a one-day seminar on garbage treatment at
the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) on Thursday, which was
also attended by rector Ahmad Ansori Mattjik, Bekasi councillors,
Jakarta Sanitation Agency head Rama Boedi, and compost makers.

Rusman revealed that the agency had drafted an outline for a
law on garbage in 2002, which was supported by the Office of the
State Minister of the Environment.

"We even conveyed the idea a few times to the House of
Representatives, but there has not been a satisfactory response."

Rusman added that a law on waste management would give a
strong legal basis for investors.

"The public, therefore, would work together to solve the
crisis on waste treatment, unlike what has happened in Bojong
waste treatment facility," he remarked.

The operation of the waste treatment plant in Bojong village,
Bogor regency of West Java, has been delayed for several months
due to strong rejection of its presence by local residents.

The management of the plant, which was designed to accommodate
one third of the Jakarta's 6,000 tons of garbage produced daily,
had even considered withdrawing from the project.

The latest incident occurred in November last year, when the
police fired at thousands of protesters who were afraid that the
presence of the dump would damage the environment and their
health as happened to residents who live near Bantar Gebang,
another Jakarta dump in Bekasi municipality, West Java.

Six people were sent to hospital to be treated for gunshot
wounds, while 18 residents are currently standing trial for
allegedly causing a disturbance which halted the operation of the
waste treatment facility.

Meanwhile, Rama Boedi said that most of the garbage produced
by Jakartans daily was organic waste which had the potential to
be made into compost or fodder.

"I challenge the IPB to establish the technology to treat
organic waste ... we have at least 15,000 scavengers in Jakarta
who can be utilized to separate organic waste from non-organic
waste," he added.