Many delegates from ASEAN and European countries visited the Gunung Tugel Integrated Waste Management Facility in Banyumas, Central Java, Indonesia. Their visit is to study waste management initiatives in Banyumas Regency.
The visit comes as Banyumas hosts the Smart Green ASEAN Cities (SGAC) program of the 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 eight countries from various countries within the ASEAN region.
Under the direct leadership of Banyumas Regent Achmad Husein, delegates were capable of see the whole waste management process, from collection to processing into various helpful products reminiscent of worm feed and waste derived fuel (RDF).
Junaidi, head of the Environmental Protection Agency, explained that Banyumas Regency has numerous benefits in waste management, including a comprehensive approach from start to complete of the method.
TPST Gunung Tugel, which the delegates visited, is a waste management facility with all of the needed equipment to conduct comprehensive waste processing.
Junaidi revealed that because of adequate infrastructure on site, a considerable amount of waste, roughly 15-20 tons, is processed every single day. The basic equipment utilized in the initial stages of manual sorting are conveyors, the remainder is handled by Gibrig machines (waste sorting machine). This machine has proven to be very effective in separating organic and inorganic waste. After segregation, waste is processed in accordance with its type.
Organic waste is converted into energy sources in the shape of solid fuel or feed for worm larvae. Meanwhile, inorganic waste is crushed into another fuel called RDF, which is then sent to the Cilacap Steam Power Plant.
Banyumas Regency has achieved remarkable success in waste management, especially within the context of Smart Green ASEAN. Waste management on this TPST is near achieving zero landfill.
This is because of the undeniable fact that there aren’t any landfills in Banyumas anymore. If landfills using the landfill method still exist, there’s a possible risk of methane being produced from waste heaps. This is a significant issue because methane emissions have a really significant impact on the environment, with levels 28 times higher than carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
This achievement gained the arrogance to host the second edition of the City Window Series (CWS) under the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) Smart Green ASEAN Cities (SGAC) program.
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 the sphere. Banyumas was chosen to host CWS II since it manages waste management thoroughly and even turns it right into a source of income.
Regent Banyumas also explained that delegates from 13 ASEAN cities visited Banyumas since the regency has successfully tackled the waste problem without diverting it from landfills. In other ASEAN cities, only about 20 percent of waste is managed well, while in Banyumas, almost 98 percent of waste is managed, with only a small amount going to landfills.
