The problem of waste management in Indonesia has reached a critical level. Luckily, this is recognize by the Indonesian government, who recently issued a Presidential Decree No. 18/2016. The decree is meant to accelerate waste-to-energy projects in 7 urban cities in Indonesia.
In this article, we attempts to provide our thinking of what might be needed to transform the waste management and waste to energy sector in Indonesia within the spirit of the Presidential Decree, based on our own observation of two Public Private Partnership in waste management projects for City of Jakarta and Surabaya.
Having technical knowledge and large budget are evidently not the only things that leap forward a city to manage its waste responsibly. This is evident with Jakarta's capital city. For years, the City relies on a single landfill TPST Bantargebang to contain its waste. It is not that the City Sanitary Agency does not know that the City needs a better solution than this, nor does the City has no sufficient budget to improve its practices, rather it is the lack of suitable institutions to carry forward knowledge and management for a long term complex infrastructure projects that stop Jakarta from having best practices in waste management.
In November 2015, the city governor were embroiled in a spate of exchange with its contractor and Bekasi's Regional Parliament that ends up in resident of Bekasi closing (again) the tranport route for truck delivering waste from Jakarta. Presiden Jokowi has to get his hand dirty ending the row that stops the waste transport route from Jakarta's capital to its final disposal site located in Bekasi. The President ordered that the road access must be opened 24 hours to make ways for 1,200 trips of waste truck to dump 6,800 tons daily refuse. The Presidential instruction certainly ends the waste crisis for DKI Jakarta, but certainly has not ends the waste problem which is still lurking like a time bomb.
In essence, the waste crises in Jakarta were not a new problem, and its solutions were thought of during Government Sutiyoso more than 10 years ago. With assistance from experts from Japan, large scale study were conducted and conveyed in Jakarta Waste Management Master Plan 2005-2015 which recommends the development of five (5) in-city waste-reduction facilities called Intermediate Treatment Facility (ITF) and additional final disposal sites to support TPST Bantargebang.
North Jakarta area are to be serviced by ITF Marunda, West Jakarta by ITF Duri Kosamabi, East of Jakarta by ITF Cakung Cilincing, and South of Jakarta by ITF Pulo Gebang. These waste reduction facilites (presumably using incineration technology) were to have at least 3,800 ton per day facility. Their residues area to be disposed in three final waste disposal sites: TPST Bantargebang in the east, TPST Ciangir in the west, and TPST Nambo in the south. In 2011, the development of TPST Ciangir were discontinued to differences in opinion with Tangerang City, and the Master Plan were reviewed and indicates that for safeguard, the in-city incineration should have a 6,300 ton capacity.
Planning differs from implementation. In the case of Jakarta, it is a major departure. In 2016, Jakarta still have no in-city incinerators with no alternative landfill. TPST Bantargebang remains the only back-bone 10 years after the Master Plan were adopted. There is no particular effort by the City Government to reduce waste going to Bantargebang, and yet, the in-city activity of cleaning the city and its river increase the load of Jakarta's only final disposal site. As consequence, the number of waste trucks transporting wastes in-and-out of Bekasi increases dramatically. Unfortunately, the Government of Jakarta, DPRD, and the management of the landfill continue to be embroiled into extended conflict, and no wonder that the story worsens.
What is needed for Acceleration?
Indonesia needs a Waste Management Authority
Waste management infrastructure is an infrastructure that deeply effected many stakeholders in a very long term horizon. Consequently, the planning of a waste infrastructure needs to be carefully performed by experts from various sectors, including, technology, finance, social and environment. Typically, the development of a project requires five years from study to operation - and this is too long for any politically appointed government. Starting a waste management initiative is unlikely to help in the next election, so the project ranks low in priority.