Waste Management in Cakung is Slow and Manual

JAKARTA - Tusiah, a resident of Cakung, East Jakarta, recounted how scattered garbage has disturbed local residents. Furthermore, Tusiah lamented the slow, manual waste management. She believes this situation has seriously disrupted residents' comfort and activities.

Every day, garbage carts from various neighborhood units (RTs) around the area pile up, waiting in long lines to be dumped into the collection truck.

"I feel sorry for the staff; each cart has to be lifted onto the truck by itself. It's so heavy," Tusiah said.

Furthermore, Tusiah continued, since the temporary waste disposal site (TPS) along the riverbank closed several months ago, residents have had to pile their trash on the roadside while waiting for the collection truck to arrive.

Because there are no tools like shovel loaders, the trash must be removed manually.

"Previously, the area along the riverbank was used to temporarily store trash before being transported to the truck using equipment. But after it was covered with corrugated iron, the trash is still dumped there, but without any equipment," she said.

Another resident, Jaka (44), stated that this situation has persisted since August 2025. Jaka and several other residents have complained to the sub-district office, requesting that the old waste disposal site (TPS) be re-used, but to date, there has been no concrete action.

"I've proposed to the sub-district office, and they said they would coordinate with the Environmental Agency. But so far, nothing has changed. Residents still dump their waste here and load it into trucks themselves," said Jaka.

Residents hope that the East Jakarta City Government, through the Environmental Agency, will immediately address this complaint by reopening the old TPS located on the riverbank.

They are also requesting that the TPS foundation be reinforced and heavy equipment be provided to expedite the transportation process.

"We only ask that the old trash bin be re-used. If possible, concrete it first to strengthen it, and then provide transport equipment such as shovels. This will eliminate the need for officers and residents to lift it manually," said Jaka.

Residents are still waiting for follow-up from the sub-district and the Cakung District Environmental Implementation Unit (Satpel LH) regarding the handling of the increasingly worrying accumulation of garbage.