Luar Batang converts waste into compost
Luar Batang converts waste into compost
By Imran Rusli
JAKARTA (JP): When Hamzah Harun Al Rasyid began his development project in Kampung Luar Batang in Penjaringan, North Jakarta, he had no idea that the village's sewage would become a prospective income earner for the area.
Under the umbrella of PT Spectra Matrik Indah, an NGO working together with the Jakarta administration and the federal government of Germany, Hamzah and his team started in 1989 to look for any potential the village might have to offer, giving priority to projects promoting hygiene.
Their initial efforts gave rise to several sewing, weaving and pottery businesses, which opened up new economic boundaries for the locals. Spectra then distributed fruit and flower seeds as well as two truckloads of precious soil to Luar Batang, which is located on the western side of the Ciliwung River. Judging from the requests for more soil and plants, the project was a great success.
Despite having improved the local human resources, a means of cleaning the environment had yet to be found. Fewer than 30 percent of Luar Batang's houses were equipped with basic lavatory facilities, with the rest making use of the open ditches in front of their homes. However, Hamzah and his team came up with a way of converting the waste into compost. The villagers heartily welcomed the idea when they witnessed how eggplant thrived on compost of their own making, which also helped to cut down on soil purchasing costs.
But Spectra's efforts to clean up Luar Batang's polluted environment were not enough. As Ilhamsyah Lubis of Spectra said, "They were only picking up enough for their pots and plants."
Solution
More than 1.6 tons of mixed sewage is produced in the village every day.
"We arrived at the idea of producing compost based on the assumption that if the village sewage could become a money earner, people of Luar Batang would clean up the ditches without much prodding from the authorities," explained Hamzah.
Studies conducted by Sucofindo, a research institute in Jakarta, confirmed the assumption. "Sucofindo recommended that we go ahead with the compost project," he added.
Thus the beginning of the Luar Batang compost project four years later in 1993. A 100-square-meter plot of land beside the Jami' Mosque was used for the compost factory and Spectra provided a subsidy to two locals, 43-year-old M. Toha and 45-year-old Slamet, in the form of six monthly orders of Rp 100,000 (US$43.34) per month.
The factory slowly consumed all of the sewage in Luar Batang.
"If people don't clean the ditches, we do it for them and deliver it to the factory," said Slamet, who has been earning a living from the compost business ever since his subsidy was ended.
Process
The processing of composting does not require a complicated system. The sewage has to be sifted according to the material, such as plastic, wood, galvanized iron and glass. The rest of the waste has to be fermented under the sun, aided by a bamboo air funnel. Once a week the material has to be turned -- twice if there is good sunlight -- for a recommended period of 40 days. The compost must then be sieved, packed and prepared for marketing.
Compost from Luar Batang is now a household name among plant traders in Jakarta and Bekasi.
"It's just a shame that the payment process is so slow. I have to go back several times to collect the money. One delivery costs Rp 20,000, but I get paid in installments of Rp 10,000," complained Slamet.
Hamzah and Ilhamsyah have been successful in alleviating Luar Batang's pollution problem while creating a money making venture in the process.
Hamzah Harun Al Rasyid noted with pride: "Each month we market an average of two tons of processed compost at Rp 200 per kilogram, packed and labeled. Clogged ditches are history now. The terraces of Luar Batang are freshly covered with greens. But, most of all, Kampung Luar Batang has been free of floods all year long."
The only concern he has now is to convince the villagers that there is money to be made from sewage.
"If marketing goes well and demand grows at fair prices, we are sure that every villager will be willing to process the sewage of Luar Batang's ditches."