Waste Emergency, Bekasi Regency Government Desak DPRD To Find Solutions

Illustration of piles of garbage in the area (Photo: Doc. Antara)

BEKASI Regency - Bekasi Regency Government, West Java, was urged to immediately address the waste problem. Especially through concrete efforts to prevent waste emergency problems in the area.

According to the Chairman of Commission III of the Regional People's Representative Council (DPRD) of Bekasi Regency, West Java, Helmi, it is necessary to be serious about the local government so that the problem does not drag on. This is because there are many aspects that must be met.

His party asked the local government (Pemda) to immediately find a solution simultaneously, especially the Waste Disposal Site (TPS) in Burangkeng, Setu District, which is no longer representative as a Final Disposal Site (TPA).

"The addition of the 2.1 hectares of Burangkeng TPA will only be able to accommodate waste this year, it cannot be a permanent solution. There must be seriousness, especially regarding waste processing technology," he said, quoting Antara.

According to him, waste management can be started with a clear spatial mapping of the Burangkeng TPA for the sustainability of development and addition in the area of tens of hectares.

Then from the processing aspect starting from the lowest level of society by sorting waste in each village or sub-district to utilizing third party investment through waste recycling cooperation schemes.

"Exposing first to us, what is needed by the Burangkeng TPA, technology, output, systematic, budgeting, how long will it last. If we produce a solution, why not, we will definitely support it. It takes seriousness, garbage about urgent, all plans are good but must be realized immediately, quickly run so that there is no waste emergency," he said.

Bekasi Regent Dani Ramdan said a special strategy was needed for handling waste considering that geographically Bekasi Regency is a downstream area with a total of 600 tons of waste per day entering the Burangkeng TPA.

Dani said that so far the waste management strategy has been carried out by boosting waste officers from the Bekasi Regency Environmental Service.

"Our officers Monday to Friday transported garbage from residents' homes, from the market and from the factory. Meanwhile, Saturday and Sunday they transported garbage from the river, it continued. Because it was missed for a week, the garbage was full," he said.

The Bekasi Regency Government (Pemkab) this year has launched the construction of waste processing and collection installations in 16 river flows which are indicated to be often used as TPS.

His party is preparing more than two hectares of land to expand the Burangkeng TPA land so that it can accommodate temporary waste, at least in the next year while preparing the concept fundamentally with a source processing strategy.

"In 2024 we must have a more basic solution because if we only increase the area, we do not solve it fundamentally. We will make two strategies, waste at the Burangkeng TPA is processed, waste from sources (homes) is also reduced," he said.

His party also encourages the construction of integrated TPS at the sub-district, village/kelurahan, to waste banks in RT/RW. Reproduction recycling schemes such as magazine cultivation, compost, and creative economy products are also pursued in order to be able to get maximum results.

Dani said that Burangkeng waste, which has been piled up for 20 years, can also be used as an energy source. "In theory, it could be electric power, it could also be a coal replacement briquette, so for us the study is more to the briquette," he said.

This program is being pursued to synergize with investors who are able to buy machines for processing factories into briquettes with parties who will buy briquettes.

"Because the volume is large, if we can only produce but we can't sell it, it's useless. There must be three parties, hopefully in the near future there will be investment, for factory installations, next year or two more years this factory will be running, so this could be a long-term solution," he said.