I am not 'anti-ITF.' We do not have the budget for the tipping fee
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Acting Governor of Jakarta Heru Budi Hartono stated that the provincial government would have to spend Rp3 trillion (US$197.3 million) yearly if it were to continue the intermediate treatment facility (ITF) project in Sunter, North Jakarta.

"According to the calculation, the Jakarta Provincial Government must spend Rp3 trillion every year," he remarked here on Thursday.

Due to the huge operational cost, Hartono's side has decided to stop the project.

"I am not 'anti-ITF.' We do not have the budget for the tipping fee," he remarked.

The governor noted that the Sunter ITF needs to be operated under a business-to-business (B-to-B) scheme, with no tipping fee that burdens the provincial government.

The tipping fee is charged to the provincial government to collect waste from residential areas to be transported to the processing site.

"The point is that the provincial government cannot afford to pay the tipping fee. Meanwhile, I focus on a refuse-derived fuel (RDF) system to solve the waste problem," he remarked.

On the other hand, Head of the Jakarta Environmental Office Asep Kuswanto confirmed that his side would not abandon the ITF construction in Sunter, North Jakarta.

"It (the construction) is not abandoned, but the provincial government currently focuses on the RDF," he stated on Wednesday (August 9).

The RDF technology processes waste by homogenizing it or shredding waste into small sizes that will be formed into pellets.

The final products can be used as a renewable energy source.

According to Kuswanto, the RDF technology is suitable to be applied in Jakarta, as the cost is much cheaper.

The Jakarta provincial government initially allocated a budget of Rp577 billion (US$37.9 million) in the 2023 regional budget (APBD) as the first capital for the Sunter ITF construction.

However, the administration ruled it out due to the large budget consumption.

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Translator: Siti N, Kenzu
Editor: Sri Haryati
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