Waste processing to be completed in 2003

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.