Scavengers uncertain of their future

Annastashya Emmanuelle, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Unlike the days when Bantar Gebang was bustling with garbage trucks, Sutira, who has been a scavenger for four years at the site, sat gloomily in her makeshift home on Thursday.

Normally, she and her other scavenger friends would be at the site around midday sorting through garbage that had just been delivered by the trucks, looking for items that could be resold.

She was scavenging at the site earlier today to gather what was left at the dump, which was closed on Monday.

"There's not much left, and it will be even less soon. And then there'll be nothing more to sell," she said.

There are about 4,000 scavengers at Bantar Gebang who make their living from the garbage delivered to the site every day. Their normal routine involves sorting plastic, rubber, metal and glass, and later selling the items to garbage buyers.

Sutira said that rubber could be sold for Rp 450 per kilogram, while prices for metal and plastic ranged from Rp 600 to Rp 800. Glass could be sold for Rp 800 per kilogram. She was able to make Rp 60,000 a week.

Sutira said she hadn't yet decided what she would do next, following the dump's closure on Monday.

"I make my living from garbage, so I think I will go to a new dumping site. But we still don't know where the new site will be," she explained.

The Jakarta administration has yet to decide on a new site for dumping the 25,000 cubic meters of trash produced by the city every day. Jakarta governor Sutiyoso has mentioned several possible locations, but they are either not yet ready for use or have been the subject of strong opposition from local residents.

"The place seems dead at the moment as no garbage is being delivered. I'm not sure what I'll do next," she added.

Another scavenger said that, in the wake of residents' protests at the site and the torching of two garbage trucks on Monday, some of the garbage buyers had left the area. He was uncertain, however, if they had simply left for the Lebaran holidays or had moved permanently.

"If there's no more garbage in this area, what's the point of staying here?," Imron said, "especially as there will be no one here to buy the garbage."

Sukron, who has been buying items of garbage from the scavengers since 1995, said that some of his fellow garbage buyers had fled in fear following Monday's attacks.

He himself was considering relocating if no more garbage was to be delivered to the site. However, he admitted that he would prefer to remain at Bantar Gebang rather than having to move with his family.

"I will move when they decide on the new garbage site. In the meantime, I'll just stay here and make do with what's left," said Sukron, who was once a scavenger himself at the previous garbage site in Cakung, East Jakarta, before it was moved to Bantar Gebang.

Sukron said he could earn at least Rp 600,000 per month from his business.

"I hope they will find a place soon so I can decide what to do next. If this situation drags on, perhaps I will have to take my family to our hometown in Madura for a while until there is some certainty," he said.