People discover lucrative business in waste recycling
People discover lucrative business in waste recycling
By Danis Purwono
JAKARTA (JP): With over 10 million people living in Jakarta,
imagine how much waste they collectively produce each day. You
can get an idea simply by watching how many bags of garbage you
throw out every day, or by looking at how filthy the city's
rivers are.
Currently the city generates around 6,000 tons of garbage
every day, or about three kilograms per person.
Most houses in Jakarta, or 70.15 percent, prefer to entrust
their garbage disposal problem to the city sanitation service,
according to the 1998 Indonesia Health Profile.
The report disclosed that the rest of Jakartans disposed of
their waste differently. Around 9.85 percent of people burned
their garbage, 4.76 percent tossed it into the rivers, 1.59
percent simply threw their garbage away, 0.76 percent made it
into compost and 8.6 percent used other methods.
People's bad habits in dealing with waste is the result of the
city's unclear garbage management system, not to mention the lack
of efforts to socialize waste management involving members of the
community.
Worse still, the scale of the garbage problem is simply viewed
as based on the amount of waste that can be accommodated at the
final dumping site, or TPA. So far, the city's waste management
plan only aims at providing more facilities like trucks, more
dumping sites, bulldozers and street sweepers.
Currently, the country's waste management is still based on a
system of collecting, transporting and dumping. In fact, most
cities, or 86 percent, are still using the open dumping system --
letting the garbage dry under the sun before burning it.
Jakarta now very much depends on the 108-hectare final dumping
site in Bantar Gebang, some 40 kilometers east of Jakarta.
In operation since Aug. 29, 1989, with a planned use until
2004, the dumping site was earlier planned to accommodate 18,000
cubic meters of garbage per day. But in reality, it receives
21,876 cubic meters per day.
The problem does not stop there. Out of the city's 823 garbage
trucks, only 684 of them are in working order.
"The city spends Rp 100 billion per year for trucks and
garbage disposal. Actually, the administration should provide
2,000 trucks for four return trips daily, but the number of
existing trucks are only one third of the number needed and they
can only do two return trips because of the distance to the
dumping site and traffic congestion," said expert Sri Bebasari, a
waste researcher from the Agency for the Assessment and
Application of Technology (BPPT) Directorate of Environmental
Studies.
In the end, it is Jakartans who experience the impacts of
environment problems caused by poor garbage management, such as
health-related problems like allergies, diarrhea and respiratory
infections.
A recent study in North Jakarta even indicated the dumping
site was responsible for the spread of Aedes mosquitoes which
cause dengue fever. Since there are plenty of used cans, tires
and other items filled with water, the site is a perfect breeding
ground for the mosquitoes.
Moreover, as Jakarta's 12 rivers empty into an estuary in
North Jakarta, the mayoralty is made responsible for cleaning up
the filthy rivers. Last year, the North Jakarta mayoralty office
collected 52,424 cubic meters of garbage from the river. Only
40,000 cubic meter could be relocated.
According to the World Bank 1996 report, garbage burning was
responsible for 8 percent of Jakarta's air pollution, especially
dust particles and hydrocarbon. The smog which can cover a radius
of 10 kilometers causes respiratory infections, choking and eye
irritation, let alone other risks if the garbage produces toxic
fumes.
At Bantar Gebang, one can smell the pungent offensive odor of
garbage from as far away as 10 kilometers. Most prevalent
diseases near the site, among other things, are breathing
problems, anemia, skin diseases, allergy, asthma, rheumatism and
hypertension.
Clean water is another problem. A recent study showed that out
of 35 samples of groundwater around residential areas near the
dumping site, 15 of them, or 42.76 percent, did not meet health
standards and had low pH level indicating high acidity. Wells
located around 75 to 100 meters from the site did not meet clean
water standards.
A 100-hectare plot of land in Ciangir, South Tangerang, will
be a the new site to replace Jakarta's present garbage dump.
Self-management
Actually, a waste management system which begins right from
each household was introduced in 1991 which even offered business
opportunities.
Under the system, garbage is separated at home, into organic
and nonorganic waste (paper, plastics, glass, metals and so on).
At temporary dumping sites in residential areas, organic waste
can be processed into compost, while nonorganic waste is
collected by scavengers. The remaining rubbish is transported to
the final dumping site. Under this system, residents do not rely
much on garbage trucks while at the same time, it would
considerably reduce garbage both on the land and in the rivers.
The Center for Policy and Implementation Studies (CPIS) along
with government offices and several non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) developed garbage recycling to produce a
compost business (UDPK). They also set up 13 UDPK for Jakarta's
five mayoralties. However, efforts to introduce the system failed
although there was still a demand for compost.
The system was then studied by the solid waste management
technology group, BPPT and the Indonesia Recycling Improvement
Forum (IRIF). The system was then developed into small industrial
recycling units (IKDU) centered at each temporary dumping site.
Each unit comprises 1,000 families and is capable of handling 10
to 20 cubic meters, or two tons of garbage per day in a 400
square meter plot of land and involves 15 workers.
The facilities cost about Rp 250 million for each unit of
2,000 families. Funds can be obtained from a soft loan scheme
with an annual interest rate of 12 percent.
"Each family pays off the loan by paying between Rp 5,000 and
Rp 10,000 per month outside their (routine) garbage collection
fees. After five to six years, the loan will be repaid. In a 12-
month period each unit can produce 12 tons of compost and 80 tons
of recycled materials such as paper, plastic pellets, metals and
batako bricks (from ash). The market potential is there and
orders for the bricks have even been placed," explained IRIF's
executive director, Bambang Heruhadi.
IKDU pilot projects are now underway in subdistricts in Pondok
Kopi in East Jakarta and Cempaka Putih in Central Jakarta. The
city's sanitation agency supports the program by providing Rp 600
million as a grant. This system will also be developed in Batam
(Riau), Tegal (Central Java), Bandar Lampung (Lampung), and
Tengggarong and Balikpapan in East Kalimantan.
"But the way housewives sort their garbage is still influenced
by the way the city manages garbage. Under the old system,
housewives would think the garbage would be mixed together in the
trucks and the final dumping sites anyway. If the city's garbage
management system was clear and supportive, 90 percent of
residents would be willing to separate their garbage," explained
Sri Bebasari, who studied housewives' attitudes toward their
garbage in Kebon Kacang low cost apartments in Central Jakarta
from 1990 to 1996.
"Creating a waste management system is more complicated than
making an aircraft or subway. Singaporeans might have become
disciplined after 30 years, and that's due to (strong) legal
enforcement, not awareness."
It works
Some Jakarta residents are aware of the need to manage their
garbage properly.
For instance, Banjarsari residents in West Cilandak, South
Jakarta have sorted out their garbage, made compost and recycled
paper since 1994. The residents even set up an environment
committee comprising 169 families living in an area of around 16
hectares.
"We apply the 4-R principle: reduce, reuse, recycle and
replant," said Harini Bambang Wahono, who is the committee
supervisor.
Residents sort out organic and nonorganic garbage before
disposing of it at the temporary dumping site. Some families even
use their organic waste to create compost at their homes, grow
medicinal plants and regreen their surrounding environment. The
paper is recycled by the committee while the rest of the garbage
is then taken away by the trucks.
Every month, the committee organizes a recycled material sale
from and for its residents. They also use compost and used
mineral water bottles to plant around 200 medicinal plants for
families. For instance, Harini, a local resident, is able to reap
Rp 200,000 in profits from her side job, selling recycled paper,
compost fertilizer and medicinal plants.
In the end, the community program, which receives support from
the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) and Kirai Indonesia Foundation, helps
managing waste in the neighborhood while at the same time, it
provides income for the residents and benefits the environment.
Soon, with this system, which will also be implemented in
several areas in North Jakarta, we will live in a clean city and
there will be no further need of garbage trucks.