Governor opens new garbage station in Sunter, N. Jakarta

Governor opens new garbage station in Sunter, N. Jakarta

JAKARTA (JP): In an attempt to reduce the burden on the Bantar
Gebang garbage dump in Bekasi, Governor Sutiyoso officially
opened an intermediate garbage station in Sunter, North Jakarta,
on Wednesday.

The intermediate station will compress all waste from the
western part of the city before it is transferred to the city-
owned dump in Bekasi. The station will be able to compress an
estimated eight truckloads of garbage into one truckload of
trash.

The construction of the new station, which cost Rp 84 billion
(US$10 million), was financed by a loan from the Japanese
government's Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund.

The garbage station occupies five of 36 hectares of land
provided by the North Jakarta mayoralty. Helping to carry out the
work at the station are 27 trailers, 18 tractors and three
Feeders, which compress the trash.

In his speech, Sutiyoso said the intermediate station should
increase the capacity of Bantar Gebang dump.

"With the operation of the Sunter station, we can increase the
loading capacity of Bantar Gebang and shorten the distance
required to transport the garbage," the governor said.

This is Jakarta's second intermediate garbage station. The
first, located in Cilincing, North Jakarta, has the capacity to
compress 1,000 tons of garbage per day, while the Sunter station
can compress up to 1,500 tons per day.

The capital produces 25,750 cubic meters of garbage each day.
Some 15 percent of this amount is used by the public for
landfill, with the remaining 85 percent becoming the
responsibility of the city administration.

Bantar Gebang, the city's only dump, is located approximately
40 kilometers east of the capital. The city sanitation agency has
repeatedly complained about having to transport trash to the
dump, saying much of the garbage is lost from the trucks on their
way to the dump.

Bantar Gebang has the capacity to take in 12,000 cubic meters
of garbage per day, but currently receives 20,000 to 30,000 cubic
meters of trash daily. The local administration plans to
establish a new dump in Tangerang in 2003.

Sutiyoso hopes the city will be able to open more intermediate
stations to minimize pollution in the city caused by current
dumping procedures at Bantar Gebang.

"Probably in the year 2003 we will be able to operate another
(intermediate station), but it pretty much depends on if we can
find an area large enough for the station," he said.

Contractor Bangun Cipta began work on the new intermediate
station in December 1997, based on similar intermediate stations
in Singapore.

The chief commissioner of PT Bangun Cipta, Siswono
Yudhohusodo, a former minister, said the Sunter station was
located far from any housing complexes and surrounded by green
areas.

"Its location will help reduce pollution and its impact on the
public.

"We even provide a separate site to wash all the dump trucks,
along with a good plumbing system, to keep the area clean,"
Siswono said. (dja)