Waste is a classic environmental problem faced by local governments, especially in urban areas where the intensity of waste disposal is very high. Agrotechnology Innovation Center (AIC) is highly committed to making use of the waste to be converted into energy source by conducting a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) in collaboration with Department of Chemical Engineering of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) aimed to generate great solutions to the problem especially in Yogyakarta. The FGD was a series of the 1st Annual Symposium on Solid Waste Refinery (1stANSWER) held at Heritage Place, Yogyakarta, on November 7th, 2018 and focused on the Problems and Solutions of Urban Waste Management. The chair of the Indonesia Solid Waste Forum (ISWF), Chandra Wahyu Purnomo, S.T., M. Eng., D.Eng. reported that the occasion engaged not only academics but also government and practitioners. He added that research carried out by academics will be useful if it is applied to the environment.
“Even though it has been expanded until 2.3 hectares from the previous area (12.5 hectares), the Piyungan Final Disposal Site (FDS) condition has been very worrying because the garbage height has reached 27.5 meters and it is predicted that capacity will be full in 2019″, said the first speaker, Ir. Rani Sjamsinarsi, M.T., who provided actual data regarding the condition of the Piyungan FDS, Bantul. She had already retired as a civil servant from the Department of Public Works but is now seconded to the Acceleration Team for Yogyakarta Province Priority Development Programs. “The waste problem must be resolved from upstream to downstream, not only depending on the government, but the community also must be able to change the existing culture” She explained further.
The culture above is willing to sort out waste starting from the household level because the characteristics of garbage are increasingly diverse, so that waste can be processed into energy. For example, plastic waste at Piyungan site has a 10% of 500 tons of waste per day or around 50 tons per day. “If those plastic wastes are processed with the right technology, such as pyrolysis, it can be changed to oil that can be used as fuel”, said Dr. Eng. Mochamad Syamsiro from Janabadra University. “In addition, on a large scale, waste can be managed in Garbage Power Plant to become an energy source in the form of electricity,” He continued. Dr. Prabang Setyono, M.Sc. from Sebelas Maret University also agreed on the benefits of sorting waste. According to him, disposable diapers containing gel in it can be used as a silencer filter.
The last speaker at the event was Tenno Sujarwanto, M.B.A, who is a commissioner of PT. Nani Wahyuni Abadi. He hoped that the output of waste management must be able to bring benefits that can improve the Indonesian economy. “The current amount of waste in the FDS should be managed more efficiently so that income for the regional treasury will increase,” he explained.