Jakarta Regional People's Representative Council (DPRD) Urged Provincial Government To Resolve Odor Problem At Rorotan RDF Before December

JAKARTA - Commission D of the Jakarta Regional People's Representative Council (DPRD) has discussed the ongoing odor pollution issue at the Rorotan Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) Plant in North Jakarta with the Jakarta Environmental Agency. Residents of Jakarta Garden City (JGC) continue to reject this waste processing facility.

Yuke Yurike, Chairman of Commission D of the Jakarta DPRD, stated that his office has requested that the Jakarta Provincial Government immediately resolve the issue of the odor emanating from the waste, which is bothering residents. The Rorotan RDF plant is targeted to be operational again next month.

"The target is for it to resume normal operations this December, and if everything goes smoothly, the Rorotan RDF plant will reach a capacity of 2,500 tons per day by January 2026," Yurike told reporters on Wednesday, November 12.

Yuke explained that during commissioning, the RDF plant had not yet processed the maximum tonnage of waste, and its operation did not cause any problems.

The smoke coming from the Rorotan RDF plant's chimney was still considered within the threshold, and the piles of unprocessed waste were not left to sit for extended periods. Furthermore, the movement of garbage trucks to the Rorotan RDF plant remained normal.

"When the RDF was operating at a capacity of 1,000 to 1,200 tons per day, no significant problems were encountered. However, when it reached 2,500 tons, complaints began to emerge from residents. It is suspected that the main cause was not the process itself, but rather the waste transportation," Yuke explained.

"Some of the transport vehicles were still using old convectors that were in poor condition. So when it rained and the waste mixed with water, leaks occurred and caused an unpleasant odor along the transport route," he continued.

Then, when opposition grew louder due to the alleged health impacts of the waste from the garbage, the trial and commissioning process of the Rorotan RDF was temporarily halted.

Therefore, during the repair process until commissioning resumed, Yuke requested that the waste processing process be carried out in stages and carefully. Furthermore, the Jakarta Environmental Agency was asked to ensure that the transport vehicles, wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) system, and all facilities were fully prepared.

"We also hope that the addition of a new fleet, which will arrive in mid-December, will expedite optimization. So, even though there's a slight delay, we hope the RDF will soon be fully operational and reduce Jakarta's dependence on the Bantar Gebang Landfill," he added.