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)