Waste Management in Indonesia

[jstar]

In Jakarta sorting waste becomes mandatory. Finally.

The RW/RT’s organize instruction meetings and most kompleks will get their own specific bins in common areas.

 

[Wisnu]

Been doing. All our organic waste are converted into compost and leachate for our garden.
Non organic waste is collected once a month by waste collectors.

 

[harryopal1]

Been doing. All our organic waste are converted into compost and leachate for our garden.
Non organic waste is collected once a month by waste collectors.

Commendably responsible. But one can't help but wonder how the loal waste collectors deal with the waste. In Australia there have been many instances where councils have provided bins for recyclable waste, organic waste and general waste only for it to be found that it all gets dropped at one big waste dump. We have a long way to go before we are on top of waste problems with plastics and chemicals finishing up polluting the seas, atmosphere and general environment rather faster than some of the ingenious schemes to control pollution. Singapore seems to have managed pretty well but I guess with a small island state and small population it is easier to control.

 

[jstar]

Singapore seems to have managed pretty well but I guess with a small island state and small population it is easier to control.

Their fine structure really helps. If you need to pay SG$ 1.000-2.000 and even much more if you start burning trash, you will think twice. Expensive garbage disposal.

 

[Wisnu]

Commendably responsible. But one can't help but wonder how the loal waste collectors deal with the waste. In Australia there have been many instances where councils have provided bins for recyclable waste, organic waste and general waste only for it to be found that it all gets dropped at one big waste dump. We have a long way to go before we are on top of waste problems with plastics and chemicals finishing up polluting the seas, atmosphere and general environment rather faster than some of the ingenious schemes to control pollution. Singapore seems to have managed pretty well but I guess with a small island state and small population it is easier to control.

I believe they just dump it at facility nearby. No waste processing facility available in my area. no other choices. incenerators are now officially banned but all people in my area simply burn their own garbages.
I'll do what I can do.

 

[Bob]

Their fine structure really helps. If you need to pay SG$ 1.000-2.000 and even much more if you start burning trash, you will think twice. Expensive garbage disposal.

That, and that nobody really has a reason to burn trash. Apartments have trash chutes and houses get regular trash collection.

 

[Balifrog]

Danantara breaks ground on Bali waste-to-energy plant

Indonesia's sovereign wealth fund, Danantara Indonesia, has broken ground on a Rp3 trillion waste-to-energy (PSEL) plant in Bali on Wednesday, marking the ...

en.antaranews.com

Seems things are moving forwards....

 

[harryopal1]

That is good news but the capacity of the plant will still have 300,000 tons untreated,.

 

[pantaiema]

Danantara breaks ground on Bali waste-to-energy plant

Indonesia's sovereign wealth fund, Danantara Indonesia, has broken ground on a Rp3 trillion waste-to-energy (PSEL) plant in Bali on Wednesday, marking the ...

en.antaranews.com

Seems things are moving forwards....

Hopefully. it will work this time, not like this 12 newly bought incinerators in Bali Post #142

Waste Management in Indonesia

Those who argue that locals simply need more education because they’re supposedly too naive to grasp the environmental consequences of dumping waste into rivers or along roads should take a moment to read this recent post on social media (see attached). If you’re lucky enough to have a landlord...

www.expatindo.org

The incinerators could not be used straight out of the box because their environmental and public health impacts were deemed unacceptable. Surprisingly noone was taken accountable for this purchase causing losses of the taxpayers money.

 

[ponyexpress]

I recently visited Lombok for a week and traveled through Java for about 3 weeks. The amount of waste that I saw is highly concerning. In Lombok some locals dig up a hole as deep as 3 metres to bury all the rubbish. It's fine if they dump all organic waste into the hole but unfortunately non degradable or compostable materials will go along as well.

The beaches too are littered with plastic waste even for some beaches like Mawun or Selong Belanak, who many think are the most pristine beaches in Lombok, have some plastic floating around.

I tend not to see this issue as purely behavioural problem as it leads us to believe that Indonesians naturally don't care about the environment. Poor infrastructure, lack of education and low resources might have been contributing to this waste problem. Yes, there are some bins provided by the local shops and supermarket but then a regular pick up by the council might be an issue. Even if there is a regular pick up, the next question will be where they put the rubbish away and what to do with them. Many places in Indonesia rely on landfill as a way of disposing waste.

There are some local initiatives here and there where they are trying to tackle waste issue but they need support from the government both at local and national level. One particular example is the use of maggot to decompose organic waste in Bogor and use the dehydrated maggot for animal stock feed. Sungai Watch is another local initiatives that seeks to clean out river. As much as frustrating to see the amount of rubbish, I can say that these little work give me a hope that one day this might spread out and hopefully the local government can provide support for them. I really wish that the MBG money should be spent on waste management but that seems highly unlikely.

 

[harryopal1]

All of these Indonesian waste management programs would get a boost if governments began taxing the petroleum companies on a scale relative to the amounts of plastic they produce. Not only do they enjoy massive profits on this production but the indications are that the next 5 years will see a huge increase in how much they produce. Unfortunately the lobbying power of these big polluters is such that they divert governments away from making them responsible and the focus is directed at you and I as consumers. It seems almost impossible to buy anything that is not covered in plastics and some of these so tough that it is difficult to access your purchases.