Public's role in garbage management sought

Public's role in garbage management sought

Muninggar Sri Saraswati and Annastashya Emmanuelle, The Jakarta
Post, Jakarta

Residents here will soon have to start separating organic
waste from non-organic trash, otherwise, garbage collectors from
the city sanitation agency will not pick it up.

The sanction, which is scheduled to be imposed starting early
next year, is sought by the city administration in an attempt to
force people to help manage their own garbage.

Before implementing the sanctions, according to the city
administration spokesman, Muhayat, the administration will
conduct a campaign among the people to manage household garbage
before dumping it.

"Without punishment, people will ignore the campaign," he told
The Jakarta Post, asserting that the agency had set up the
campaign for its 2002 agenda.

He believed the method would be beneficial not only for the
waste processing in a dump site, but also to recyclers as they
could sort waste easier.

The administration was scheduled to conduct the campaign with
assistance from several non-governmental environment
organizations.

Public participation in the waste management is indeed
essential, and has been done by many other countries for a long
time.

However, the city administration, without a proper concept to
manage the garbage, never took it seriously, until it was
overwhelmed by the garbage problems following the closure of the
Bantar Gebang dump in Bekasi, West Java, on Dec. 10, due to
environmental problems.

A few days later, with the persuasion of the Home Affairs
Ministry, the Bekasi mayoralty agreed to reopen it under several
conditions, including the establishment of a hospital near the
site. Otherwise, it will be closed again on Feb.1, 2002.

The panicked city administration has looked into a number of
alternative dump sites, the opening of new sites, the purchase of
incinerators and the processing of the garbage into compost and
fertilizers. It also is seeking help from nearby administrations
and private companies.

Even the State Minister of Environment Nabiel Makarim
expressed his concern about the garbage issue, and called for
public participation as well.

After visiting the Bantar Gebang site on Thursday, he met
Sutiyoso on Friday.

During their meeting, Nabiel ordered Sutiyoso to clean up all
untransported garbage, which was still piled high in several
areas of the city and attracting all manner of vermin and
disease.

He also urged the city administration and the Bekasi mayoralty
to make peace as it had made residents in Jakarta and Bekasi
suffer.

Nabiel revealed that the closure of Bantar Gebang was not
merely an implementation problem but was also ridden with
political motives. He refused to elaborate, but told the people
not to vote for political parties which fail to manage garbage
problems.

The Bantar Gebang closure has also led to widespread
speculation of massive corruption in the city sanitation agency
and the accusation that the Bekasi councillors issued a
recommendation for the closure of the dump after they failed to
extort certain officials at the city administration.

Nabiel also announced that the government will hold next year
a competition among cities around the country for the Adipura
cup, which will be awarded to the cleanest and most beautiful
city in Indonesia.

The Adipura competition was suspended in 1997 because of
allegations of dirty politics, following public criticism that it
was prone to manipulation. However, Nabiel brushed aside the
rumors.

"The competition is still good enough to encourage
administrations to manage the sanitation in their towns," he
insisted.