Solution to waste problem

Solution to waste problem

From Warta Kota

After reading an article in Warta Kota written by Wimar Artinas titled Hello ... Bang Yos complaining about waste -- a common issue in Jakarta -- and suggesting a solution to it, I am of the opinion that all of us must seek a solution to this problem.

I happen to have a friend involved with environmentally friendly and efficient machines capable of recycling plastic waste into diesel oil.

Just imagine that out of 27,000 cubic meters of waste dumped in the city, 4,000 cubic meters is normally made up of plastic materials. This is not only an eyesore but also poses a threat to human life and nature.

To overcome this problem and to earn additional revenue, it would be much better for the city administration to operate such machines to deal with the mountains of plastic waste in the capital. For efficiency, please consider the following:

The machine is capable of processing 20 tons of waste per day. If 4,000 cubic meters of waste is equivalent to 275 to 400 tons, this means the city administration will need 20 machines. Each machine costs US$2,175,000, so 20 units would cost $43,500,000 or about Rp 490 billion (at the rate of Rp 11,250 per dollar).

Compared with the incinerator (reported cost Rp 3 trillion) the city administration plans to buy, this machine is much cheaper. And besides, the price of the incinerator is exorbitant and yet it will not solve all our waste problems.

Hopefully, the city administration will consider this problem logically for the sake of Jakartans and taxpayers who are always on the losing end.

ARI RAHIM

Address withheld