Jakarta's garbage problem

Jakarta's garbage problem

From Neraca

Jakarta's garbage averages 21,000 cubic meters a day. Fifteen percent of that, i.e. 4,000 to 5,000 cubic meters, remains uncollected. The accumulation of garbage is a growing problem for the Jakarta Administration.

The uncollected garbage, however, is processed by the Public Works office into fertilizer or disappears naturally and turns into soil.

Nevertheless, if the garbage is left to accumulate, it will become an acute problem for environmental sanitation. The accumulation of garbage is partly due to an increasing number of garbage trucks breaking down.

Moreover, I have observed that the handling of garbage in Jakarta is far from effective and efficient. It is still very traditional.

Some time ago, the Jakarta Administration launched sophisticated trucks which could process the garbage into compact packages. A pity that many of these expensive trucks are in disrepair due to lack of maintenance.

One important thing to be solved in garbage handling in Jakarta and other cities is the quality of cleaning personnel. This does not mean that they are not dedicated. Their dedication is high. The problem is in the understanding and mastery of technology.

With some funds and training, they will become a reliable task force for the control of environmental cleanliness. Support and understanding from the community is also needed. For example. people should be willing to spend some money to buy plastic bags for household garbage to avoid it scattering everywhere.

ABDILLAH KAMIL

Jakarta