Collaboration Key to Waste Management

KOMPAS/CORNELIUS HELMY HERLAMBANG

Asep Dimyati (left) and Tatang Sobarna

Garbage is a problem in many areas, including the city of Bandung. Unwilling to maintain silence on the issue, Asep Dimyati, 42, and Tatang Sobarna, 49, joined forces in local waste management, sharing their knowledge publicly so they can live together in comfort and hygiene.

A motorcycle modified with a truck bed thundered through a narrow alley in the RW 009 neighborhood unit on Oct. 7 in Cigereleng village, Bandung. For the local residents, the sound of the motorcycle acted as an alarm. One by one, they came out their houses carrying garbage bags. With one hand carrying a bag of “wet” (organic) garbage and the other carrying a bag of dry garbage, they approached the garbage collector.

“The residents here have gotten used to sorting their household waste. It’s not perfect yet, but we have employees who resort the garbage,” said Asep Dimyati, a local resident and waste management activist.

Asep is right. Inside the bed of the garbage motorcycle, scavenger Cecep, 17, was quickly sorting the garbage. Just like driving the motorcycle, his hands were agile at separating plastic and vegetable waste into different containers.

Cecep said his job was easier when the garbage had been pre-sorted. For example, he would not need to stand in a queue at the dump. If the garbage hasn’t been pre-sorted, it usually takes two hours to unload the garbage. It only takes half an hour to unload pre-sorted garbage.

“Pak Asep taught me how to sort [the garbage],” he said.

Asep merely smiled at the mention of his name. He simply said that Cecep was a scavenger who wanted to learn to spend time efficiently by collecting garbage from elsewhere. His income is double that of other scavengers.

“Not only that, he unwittingly helped reduce waste in the city of Bandung. The residents use the wet waste for composting. Recycled plastic can be resold,” Asep said.

From home

The transfer of knowledge from Asep to Cecep was only a small part of the waste management process that discussed at a residence in Cigereleng. Four years ago, together with the women of Cigereleng’s RW 009 neighborhood unit, Asep formed an environmental community called “Kami Kawasan Bersih” (We are a Clean Area), or Kakasih.

Asep’s residence and grocery stall has become a hub for a variety of ideas to sort and process garbage the Kakasih way. The methods vary from using organic waste biodigester, to sorting paper and plastic wrap, to making liquid compost.

“In the past, the RW 009 neighborhood unit wasn’t like this. Piles of garbage were visible at several points. The arrival of waste management activist Dewi Kusmianti made us more creative in managing the waste. It has been fruitful, with the volume of local garbage decreasing by 50 percent from before,” he said.

Asep said that many parties observed the residents’ perseverance. Slowly, the neighboring village also became interested in developing their own waste management. Five other Cigereleng RWs manage their waste together. Community waste management is also seen in places like Raja Ampat, Nias and Manado. The village has also welcomed many foreign observers representing 23 countries, including Algeria, Japan, the Netherlands, Mexico, Pakistan and Romania.

The Bandung city administration appreciates Asep and Kakasih. In 2018, he was chosen to go to Kawasaki, Japan, to see the waste management there firsthand. Over five days, he learned a lot from the country, which is famous for reducing waste.

“Of the many materials and visits to a number of regions, I was most interested in the way they sort their garbage at home. Each apartment has a waste processing facility that is managed by the residents. Now, I am trying to help six areas in Bandung to implement the same [method],” he said.

Innovation

Even with his myriad experiences, Asep did not want to stop learning. He attended various waste management trainings held by many parties until early this year, when he met Tatang Sobarna, 49, a waste management activist from Cikadut, Bandung.

Asep said that Tatang had many skills that he did not have. With basic expertise in electronic control design, Tatang became eager to innovate waste management four years ago.

“I want to give many alternatives for recycling waste to the public. A single method doesn’t fit everyone,” said Tatang.

One of his developments is a container for leftover food (wasima) that he designed in 2014 and which he continues to perfect. The design is simple. Tatang made a container from plastic pipes with a diameter of 11.5 centimeters and a length of 43 centimeters.

Inside the container are dividers that create two spaces: The first space is for wet garbage that can hold up to 4 liters of organic waste, followed by a smaller space with a drain that holds leachate.

Tatang said the wasima was essentially a composter that could be placed indoors because it did not emit a bad smell. It composts the organic waste through hydrolysis and fermentation, with one wasima able to process 1 kilogram of organic waste in to 200-400 grams of organic fertilizer.

“We also produce biopori containers from steel mesh, gardening pots and corncob briquettes,” he said.

Slowly, the collaboration spread by word of mouth to many people. They came and were inspired. Tatang and Asep are generous about sharing their knowledge with those who wanted to learn how to live in comfort by managing their own waste. Since the beginning of this year, the duo has helped six areas in Bandung concerned about their waste.

The local residents have learned from how to sort, manage and process their waste into more useful products. “We have a goal. We want to help the people have a mini organic waste processer and use the resulting product in the area where they live. The waste must be sorted from the local environment. It’s similar to [what is done in] Japan,” he said.

Interestingly, almost all costs of the training are self-financed. Along with the residents’ assistance, they also set aside a part of their daily income. Asep, for example, sets aside half of the proceeds he makes as a driver of a ride-hailing service.

Tatang also does the same. He uses some of his earnings from designing electronic controls to finance basic research on waste processing equipment and on public awareness efforts. Of the 300 wasima he has created, he has given almost half to community residents for free.

Therefore, when the Bandung city administration invited them to collaborate to overcome the garbage problem, they welcomed the initiative with open arms. Bandung is now promoting the Kang Pisman program, its name an acronym formed from “kurangi, pisah, dan manfaatkan” (reduce, sort and use).

“Collaboration is the key to finding solutions to waste issues. Hopefully, this will be a small contribution to a better future,” Asep said, with a nod from Tatang.

KOMPAS/CORNELIUS HELMY HERLAMBANG

Asep Dimyati

Born: Bandung, Jan. 6, 1976

Education: SMA Muslimin 1 Bandung senior high school (Class of 1994)

KOMPAS/CORNELIUS HELMY HERLAMBANG

Tatang Sobarna

Born: Bandung, April 28, 1969

Education: SMA BPI 2 Bandung senior high school (Class of 1988)