From Waste Piles to Industrial Energy

The hum of machinery occasionally breaks the silence at the Banjardowo Final Processing Site (TPA) in Jombang Regency. Amidst the piles of waste arriving daily from across the region, workers sort materials that can still be reused. For many, a pile of rubbish marks the end of an item’s life cycle. However, in Jombang, East Java, waste is beginning to be viewed from a different perspective: as a source of alternative energy that can provide new benefits. The Jombang Regency Government, through its local Environmental Agency (DLH), is developing refuse-derived fuel (RDF) technology, processing waste into alternative fuel that can be used by the cement industry to partially replace coal. RDF offers a solution to waste processing, a significant challenge for Jombang and indeed all of Indonesia, by turning waste into a product with economic value. Head of the Jombang DLH, Miftahul Ulum, explained that the RDF technology utilises plastic and various types of inorganic waste that previously had no economic value. The material comes from sorting processes carried out by the community, waste banks, collectors, and local Reduce-Reuse-Recycle (TPS3R) processing sites across the regency. Through this programme, waste that once merely ended up in landfill mountains now gets a second chance to become an energy source for the industrial sector. This effort has not been a quick process. Over the past year, the Jombang DLH and a cement manufacturer have conducted a series of trials to ensure the quality of the RDF produced meets industrial standards. The Jombang DLH has trialled processing waste into RDF as an alternative fuel for cement factories, and the results, checked by the factory, showed good calorific value. The test results indicate promising prospects. Nevertheless, the journey towards large-scale production still requires support in the form of additional facilities and equipment. The Jombang DLH still needs shredding machines, drying machines, and tools to separate organic and inorganic waste so that the production process can be carried out on a mass and sustainable basis. Waste management in Jombang does not stop at RDF. Organic waste entering the Banjardowo TPA is also processed into compost to meet the needs of local government parks, ‘adiwiyata’ schools, and to support the ‘eco pesantren’ programme. These steps are part of building a circular economy, where waste is no longer seen as residue to be discarded, but as a resource that can be reused. Various waste sorting and processing programmes involving the community are also beginning to show results. The Jombang DLH recorded a reduction in waste generation of around 20 to 27 tonnes per day. This figure provides breathing room for the Banjardowo TPA, which is currently the only final processing site in Jombang Regency. Environmental management at the TPA is strictly enforced. Leachate is treated through a special installation before being released into the surrounding environment, while a controlled landfill system is applied to reduce odour and other environmental impacts. According to DLH calculations, the Banjardowo TPA’s capacity is estimated to be sufficient for the next eight years. However, this service life could be extended further if the waste reduction programme and RDF development run optimally. Amidst increasing waste volumes due to population growth and economic activity, Jombang is trying to offer a new perspective: that waste is not always the end of a story. In the hands of technology and community awareness, some waste can begin a second life as energy that drives industry.