Waste processing to be completed in 2003
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The development of two waste processing plants in Tegal Alur, West Jakarta, and Marunda, North Jakarta, is expected to be completed next year.
Each plant is expected to employ some 500 scavengers to separate organic and inorganic waste.
"We have targeted the completion of both plants for next year before our agreement with the Bekasi municipality on the Bantar Gebang dump expires," said Jakarta Sanitation Agency deputy director Rama Budi on Tuesday.
PT Global Interindo and its Australian partner will establish a 4.5-hectare plant in Tegal Alur involving a total investment of US$18 million. The plant will process at least 1,000 tons of waste into liquid fertilizer every day.
Meanwhile, PT Putra Bakti Mahkota and its American partner are to establish a 30-hectare plant in Marunda in North Jakarta with an investment of $360 million. The plant will process at least 2,000 tons per day into ethyl alcohol.
Most of the two plants' products will be exported.
Raw plastic will also be produced as a side product by both companies.
The coming onstream of the two plants is expected to reduce the city's difficulties in disposing of the 5,000 tons of garbage it produces daily.
A waste processing system is only one of four ways to manage garbage. The other three ways are garbage dumping, garbage recycling and zero waste garbage management.
The city sanitation agency's acting head, Irzal Jamal, said following the signing of the memoranda of understanding in late February that the administration and both companies would sign collaboration agreements immediately.
"We warmly welcome the introduction of the waste management technology. The new technology is expected to make a significant contribution to resolving garbage problems in the city," Irzal said.
Rama said the city would not be burdened by the cost of the investments as all the development work would be fully financed by the investors.
"The city will only have to transport the garbage to the plants' gates. All the waste processing will be the responsibility of the two companies," he said.
Rama claimed that pollution in the areas surrounding the plants would be minimal as the waste resulting from the waste processing would amount to less than 10 percent of the overall volume processed.
However, he encouraged both companies to familiarize local people with the projects so as to avoid misunderstandings.
Speaking on the possibility of the Bekasi municipality closing the Bantar Gebang dump at some time as provided for in the MoU between the Bekasi and Jakarta administrations, Irzal said that any suspension of the agreement would have to be decided on by an independent team.
"It's true that based on the agreement Bekasi can close the dump anytime if Jakarta is considered not to have fulfilled its promises. Such a closure, however, can't be decided on by the Bekasi municipality, but rather must be decided on by an independent team," he said, adding that the team members would be jointly selected by both the Jakarta and Bekasi administrations.