Garbage Piles in Tambora Flats, Decomposition Expected to Take 6 Months

JAKARTA – Piles of rubbish blocking the vertical disposal shafts up to the sixth floor in the Tambora public housing complex in West Jakarta are estimated to take six months to fully decompose. The head of the Environmental Office Implementation Unit for Tambora sub-district, Harun, stated that they cannot dismantle the waste buildup due to the risk of the shaft walls collapsing. As a solution, the rubbish will be decomposed using maggot cultivation, a process that requires considerable time. Harun estimated that it will take months for the rubbish clogging up to the third floor in Tower B and the sixth floor in Tower C to be completely cleared. “In my calculation, it could take 3 to 6 months if the shafts are completely emptied,” he said. “Maggots take two weeks for breeding. In the first two weeks, they are at their most aggressive; they will die off naturally, and within a month, we will continue adding them. Once decomposed, they will fall down on their own,” he explained. The condition of the shafts, filled with rubbish since the beginning of the year, has caused the surface to harden. Therefore, the Environmental Sub-Department cannot use heavy machinery to dredge the piles that have accumulated for tens of metres. “If we force it to be removed, it will definitely collapse. The cracks are already visible. The rubbish is filling the empty gaps, hardening, and if the bottom is dredged, there will be movement, leading to cracks and the potential for the shaft walls to collapse,” he said. While awaiting the natural decomposition process, estimated to take up to six months, the Environmental Sub-Department, along with the Tambora public housing management, is now focusing on prevention efforts to ensure daily waste volume does not continue to increase. “It comes back to the residents, in line with the Governor’s instructions, that residents are required to sort at the source. So, it’s not about adding fleets or quotas, but residents must also be able to sort their own waste,” Harun stated.