Market operator gives up on waste management

Market operator gives up on waste management

Bambang Nurbianto
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta

City-owned market operator PD Pasar Jaya will no longer deal with
the garbage from 151 traditional markets across the city, handing
the dirty work to the already overloaded Jakarta Sanitation
Agency.

This means, an additional 300 tons or 1,200 cubic meters of
garbage would be added to the 6,000 tons or 25,000 cubic meters
of garbage that the sanitation agency handles on a daily basis.

PD Pasar Jaya president director Prabowo Sunirman said the
handover of waste management to the sanitation agency was part of
efforts to improve efficiency.

"The plan to hand over the waste management has been approved
by Vice Governor Fauzi Bowo," he said on the sidelines of a
hearing with the City Council's Commission B for economic affairs
on Thursday.

Prabowo said the company allocated some Rp 18 million (US$2.14
million) annually for garbage management.

The company deploys 60 trucks to collect the garbage and
transport it to the city's Bantar Gebang dump in Bekasi.

He did not mention exactly when the handover would take place,
but said that the agreement would comprise both the annual funds
and the trucks.

The sanitation agency has been at a loss as to how to deal
with the city's garbage. It has been criticized for lagging
behind schedule in picking up garbage and adding to the problems
that the city faces.

Garbage management is an acute problem in Jakarta as the
administration has not provided a satisfactory waste-management
system.

The open dump at Bantar Gebang has become a source of dispute
between Jakarta and Bekasi administrations as it has polluted the
surrounding neighborhoods, where residents allegedly suffer from
skin diseases and respiratory problems.

The latest dispute surfaced early this year when Governor
Sutiyoso temporarily put a stop to Jakarta's use of Bantar Gebang
dump due to his anger over the high tipping fee demanded by
Bekasi residents.

Consequently, Jakarta used Cilincing dump in North Jakarta.
However, within two months of use, it was abruptly closed as the
dumping had caused environmental problems in the vicinity.