No way to trash Jakarta's garbage problem
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The garbage crisis at the end of 2001 is still so fresh in our memories, when the Bekasi municipality administration and residents closed the Bantar Gebang dump for weeks, leaving the capital perplexed over how to handle its mounting, putrefying rubbish.
The closure by the Bekasi administration was not a subjective decision, and they argued that the mismanagement of the 104- hectare dump, which has accommodated Jakarta's 6,000 daily tons of garbage since 1986, had caused environmental damage and endangered the health of residents.
Garbage piled up at every corner of the city after the closure, inviting platoons of flies and filled the air with a putrid odor.
The heated dispute between Jakarta and Bekasi over the dump ended after President Megawati Soekarnoputri and State Minister of the Environment Nabiel Makarim intervened.
Governor Sutiyoso then decided to dismiss the chief and deputy chief of the Jakarta Sanitation Agency and paid a total of Rp 22 billion (US$2.59 million) in compensation to Bekasi.
Two years later, as the contract deadline of Dec. 31 approached, only one waste processing facility in Bojong village, Bogor regency, with a capacity of 1,500 tons per day, was being readied for use by January.
Bojong residents are firmly opposed to the new dump. Police had to fire warning shots during a protest early December -- an indication of the magnitude of their opposition. Jakarta's plan to use advanced German technology in treating garbage to minimize environmental damage did nothing to sway the opinion of residents in the area around the planned dump.
Two other facilities in Duri Kosambi, West Jakarta, -- whose locals are also opposed to the dump -- and on Jl. Cakung Cilincing, East Jakarta, will only be ready in June 2004, officials said.
Observers had called on Jakarta to comply with all conditions already agreed upon, including the installment of a processing plant in Bantar Gebang, to avoid further environmental damage.
The garbage should be processed using a sanitary landfill system. In reality, the garbage is simply dumped out into the open to tower 15 meters high.
Many residents in the neighborhood have suffered from respiratory problems, diarrhea and various skin ailments due to the foul air and contaminated groundwater.
Jakarta has failed to regreen Bantar Gebang as stated in a renewed agreement signed in early 2002. The capital also agreed to build a pipeline to supply clean water for people in the surrounding villages, but this has not been realized, either.
On Jan. 1, 2004, Bekasi and Jakarta signed an agreement that allows the capital to dump its waste in Bantar Gebang, but waste management will be handled by Bekasi.
However, only four days after the signing, Jakarta changed its mind and withdrew from Bantar Gebang -- where it owns dumps in the subdistricts of Ciketing, Sumur Batu and Cikiwul -- all because the capital objected to Bekasi's waste treatment fee of Rp 85,000 (US$10) per ton.
Bekasi said the figure was much lower than that proposed by an expert at the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT).
A metropolis like Jakarta, which covers 60,000 hectares, should have its own waste processing facilities. While the city administration has signed nine memorandums of understanding with private companies toward that goal, only two have been followed through.
PT Wira Gulfindo Sarana is managing the Bojong facility, while PT Interindo Global is now constructing a facility in Duri Kosambi that will convert garbage into liquid fertilizer.
In another attempt to ease the crisis, Jakarta also provided incinerators to its subdistrict dumps, but the program failed because it did not significantly reduce the garbage. Officials now argue that the currently idle incinerators did not match the specifications in the original plan.
The question is, what can Jakartans do to ease the waste crisis?
It is pertinent that each Jakarta household starts separating organic and nonorganic waste, experts say. Data from the Jakarta Sanitation Agency revealed that around 65 percent of daily waste come from households and small markets, meaning that there is a large proportion of organic waste.
Sri Bebassari, a BPPT waste expert and chairwoman of the Indonesian Waste Forum, has repeatedly called on Jakartans to start turning their organic waste into compost.
"Waste like vegetables and cooked rice should not be burned because it will only create carbon monoxide, which is dangerous to humans," she said.
She also called on residents to start minimizing domestic waste by recycling or reusing them.
In the meantime, subdistrict officials must actively campaign for the adoption of simple waste treatment methods such as composting to turn organic waste into fertilizer.
Changing people's habits and encouraging the use of recycled products will help ease garbage problems.
If all necessary measures in managing garbage at various levels are taken, Jakartans will be able to handle its waste in a more environmentally friendly way without dumping on neighboring cities.
Jakarta garbage breakdown No. Source Volume (m3) Percentage ------------------------------------------------------- 1. Households 14,602 58.0 2. Private markets 629 2.5 3. PD Pasar Jaya
(city-owned markets) 1,888 7.5 4. Industries 3,776 15.0 5. Public facilities 3,776 15.0 6 Rivers/waterways 505 2.0 -------------------------------------------------------
Total 25,176 100.0
Source: Jakarta Sanitation Agency
Waste management agreements (private companies) No. Company Location(s) Status Capacity Notes
ton/day ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1. PT Wira Gulfindo Bojong, Bogor signed 1,500 ready Jan.
Sarana (WGS) 2. WGS Cacing, E. Jkt MOU 1,000 idle 3. PT Interindo D. Kosambi signed 1,000 ready June
Global 4. PT Tata Prima Nambo, Bogor MOU 1,500 idle
Alam 5. PT Bio Pupuk Marunda, N. Jkt MOU 350 idle
Indonesia Jaya 6. PT Dasa Prima Sukapura, E. Jkt MOU 500 idle
Lestari Unggul 7. PT ACME Corp. Marunda MOU 1,000 idle 8 PT Galuh Chandra Rawa Buaya, W. Jkt proposal 500 idle
Kirana 9. PT Karya Mitra Cakung, E. Jkt MOU 1,000 idle
Selaras 10. PT Bhineka P. Marunda MOU 6,000 idle
Marketindo 11. PT Sucaco Daan Mogot, W. Jkt proposal 1,200 idle ---------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Jakarta Sanitation Agency