A number of delegates from ASEAN and European countries have visited the Gunung Tugel Integrated Waste Management Facility in Banyumas, Central Java, Indonesia. Their visit aims to learn about waste management initiatives in Banyumas Regency.
The visit is due to Banyumas hosting the Smart Green ASEAN Cities (SGAC) Program - United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF). The event was held in Banyumas on September 12-14, 2023 and was attended by 120 delegates representing 13 cities and 8 countries from different countries in the ASEAN region.
Under the direct guidance of the Regent of Banyumas, Achmad Husein, the delegates were able to see the complete waste management process from collection to processing into various valuable products such as maggot feed and refuse derived fuel (RDF).
Junaidi, Head of the Environmental Agency, explained that Banyumas Regency has a number of advantages in waste management, including a comprehensive approach from the beginning to the end of the process.
TPST Gunung Tugel, which the delegates visited, is a waste management facility that has all the necessary equipment to conduct comprehensive waste processing.
Junaidi revealed that a large amount of waste, about 15-20 tons, is processed at the site every day thanks to adequate facilities. The main equipment used involves the use of conveyors in the initial stages of manual sorting, while the rest is handled by Gibrig machines (waste sorting machine). This machine has proven to be very efficient in separating organic and inorganic waste. After separation, the waste is processed according to its type.
Organic waste is converted into energy sources in the form of solid fuel or feed for maggot larvae. Meanwhile, inorganic waste is crushed into an alternative fuel called RDF, which is then sent to the Cilacap Steam Power Plant .
Banyumas Regency has achieved remarkable success in waste management, especially in the context of Smart Green ASEAN. Waste management in this TPST has come close to achieving zero landfill disposal.
This is due to the fact that there are no more landfill sites in Banyumas. If there are still landfills using the landfill method, there is a potential risk of methane gas being generated from the waste piles. This is a serious issue because methane gas emissions have a very significant environmental impact, with emission levels reaching 28 times higher than carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
This achievement has won the confidence to host the 2nd City Window Series (CWS) of the Smart Green ASEAN Cities (SGAC) Program - United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF).
Chencho G. Dorjee, SGAC-UNCDF Program Manager, said he was very impressed with the achievements of the Banyumas Regency Government in waste management. He described Banyumas as a pioneer in this field. Banyumas was chosen to host CWS II because it has managed waste management very well, even turning it into a source of income.
The Regent of Banyumas also explained that delegates from 13 ASEAN cities visited Banyumas because the regency has successfully managed waste issues without the need for landfills. In other ASEAN cities, only about 20 percent of waste is well managed, while in Banyumas, almost 98 percent of waste is managed, with only a small amount going to landfills.
