Waste to Energy in Sunter, Jakarta, Indonesia: Plans and Challenges

Abstract

Waste-to-energy (WtE) power plants in waste management have been applied widespread because it is considered the best waste management solution compared to other waste management technologies. However, Jakarta has relied heavily on landfills regarding its waste management. Bantargebang landfill has been the only landfill owned by Jakarta and has been operating since 1989, so it has almost reached its capacity limit. Thus, to solve the problem, the Provincial Government of Jakarta has planned to build an Intermediate Treatment Facility (ITF) in a WtE power plant in Sunter. This article aims to find out the plans and the challenges of WtE in Sunter, Jakarta. This research was conducted with a literature study on waste to energy in several countries that have applied it to their waste management systems and literature related to the progress of waste to energy development in Indonesia especially ITF Sunter, and the challenges that must be done faced. Based on the literature study, building an ITF is one of the Jakarta Provincial Government’s responsibilities. However, the composition and characteristics of the waste tend to be lower than (WtE) standards, so the waste cannot be effectively processed. Therefore, the use of a pre-treatment facility should be considered.