Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Jakarta administration has asked the House of Representatives to include law enforcement in the waste management bill currently under deliberation, in order to lure investors interested in developing high-tech waste treatment plants.
The request was made by Governor Sutiyoso in a Thursday meeting with the House's special committee on the waste bill.
In the meeting, Sutiyoso referred to a 2005 incident in Bojong village, West Java where hundreds of residents forced the closure of an incinerator plant before it began operation.
"Let's learn from the Bojong incident. Poor law enforcement made investors halt their plans for a high-tech waste plant for Jakarta," he said.
The Bojong plant, built in 2003 by private operator PT Wira Guna Sejahtera, aimed to incinerate one-third of Jakarta's 6,000 tons of daily waste.
Sutiyoso said the Bojong plant was intended as a pilot project for eco-friendly waste management in Greater Jakarta, which was also aimed at benefiting local economies.
"I was very disappointed with the incident mainly because it was provoked by environmental activists, none of whom were brought to court," he said.
Sutiyoso said that before the incident, his office had signed a memorandum of understanding with four investors, including one from Canada, who were interested in exporting compost made from Jakarta's waste.
"But the four went soon after the incident. We now must struggle hard to ensure investors they are safe. It was also bad dream for other provinces," he said.
Jakarta currently disposes its 6,000 tons garbage in landfill in Bantar Gebang, Bekasi, West Java.
Sutiyoso said his administration would gradually reduce the amount of waste being dumped in Bantar Gebang.
"We're operating an eco-friendly plant in Cilincing, East Jakarta that can manage 500 tons a day. We hope to boost the capacity to 1,500 tons."
Sutiyoso also urged the House to review the 2005 presidential decree on project development, which requires all infrastructure development to be tendered through open auctions.
"This will also hamper investors in the waste sector because each operators uses different technology," he said.
Thursday's meeting was also attended by officials from West Java and Aceh provinces.
The first-ever waste management bill is expected to be passed into law this year. The bill is aimed at solving a string of waste management problems that have killed dozens of people across the country.
Waste, largely due to massive amounts of household garbage, has been one of the most sensitive issues in the country's urban areas.
The draft of the waste management bill requires residents to limit, reduce and manage their garbage and prohibits people from dumping garbage anywhere they like.
The law stipulates that organic garbage should be sorted from non-organic garbage at its source.
The committee also spoke to environmental activists last week, including the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi).
Walhi, which is focusing its campaign efforts on the waste problem this year, urged the House's committee to compel producers to use recyclable packaging for their goods.
The group also opposed the use of incinerators to treat waste, saying they would further harm environment and public health.
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