Residents Again Reject RDF Rorotan, Pramono Admits There Is Still A Garbage Bau Problem

Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung (Diah Ayu/VOI)

JAKARTA - DKI Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung admitted that there were still problems with the smell of garbage originating from the Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) Plant Rorotan facility, North Jakarta. This confession was conveyed after the residents of Jakarta Garden City (JGC) again voiced their rejection of RDF operations because the unpleasant aroma was increasingly disturbing.

Pramono admitted that the smell of garbage was still smelled, so residents complained. However, Pramono emphasized that this did not come from the processing process at RDF facilities, but from the accumulation and transportation of waste to the location.

"Yes, so the Rorotan RDF is actually the problem, not the RDF, because actually we have been commissioning up to 1000'1200," said Pramono at Taman Ismail Marzuki, Central Jakarta, Monday, November 3.

He explained that the problem arose because the timing management of the transportation did not comply with the provisions. Pramono said that the waste sent to Rorotan should only be accommodated for a maximum of two to five days.

Then, in practice, the transport was out of control until lindi water spilled on the streets and caused a pungent smell around the settlements.

"I honestly admit that the problem is the transportation and garbage. The garbage in Rorotan should not be more than 2 to 5 days in Rorotan. Well, yesterday the car carrying the cylinder was scattered. That then caused the first one, the smell everywhere," he explained.

Pramono said that some of the garbage that had not been processed had indeed defamed the RDF area. However, he claims that Rorotan's RDF facility has technically been operating well and is ready to be inaugurated in the near future.

"Secondly, when the garbage that was previously unprocessed, it has caused a smell. Even though the Rorotan itself has actually been handled," he said.

Responding to complaints from local residents, Pramono plans to directly inspect the Rorotan RDF location as well as have a dialogue with affected communities. He ensured that the DKI Provincial Government would find a solution so that the operation of RDF would no longer cause odor disturbances for the surrounding environment.

"Maybe in the near future I will go to the field and I will also accept residents who complain about the Rorotan RDF. Because any Rorotan RDF must be resolved," he said.

The RDF Rorotan facility is currently still in the testing phase. Later, RDF will process waste into alternative fuel for the cement industry. This waste processing is also used to reduce the volume of Jakarta waste which has been dumped into the Bantar Gebang Integrated Waste Processing Site (TPST).