PORTALJABAR, BANDUNG CITY - Acting Mayor of Bandung, A. Koswara emphasized that he will focus on waste management efforts in Bandung City by strengthening policies that involve waste management from upstream to downstream.

According to him, waste management policies so far have been too focused on the downstream, such as the creation of final waste disposal sites (TPA) and temporary waste disposal sites (TPS), while temporary policies upstream—which concern waste management from the source—have not gone according to plan.

"We want to strengthen the policy upstream, namely how waste is managed at the source level. Of the 1,500 RW in Bandung, 380 RW are already free of waste. This means that their waste has been processed in each RW through composting, maggot, and livestock methods, explained Koswara, Thursday (10/17/2024).

This program allows waste to be managed directly in the community environment, so that only the remaining waste is transported to the landfill. Koswara targets that if this program is successfully implemented in all RW in Bandung, the volume of waste disposed of to the landfill can be reduced by 30 percent per day.

"If this system can be implemented in all RW, we can significantly reduce the waste disposed of in landfills, and the remaining waste can be used to produce other products," he added.

However, Koswara emphasized that one of the biggest challenges in implementing this program is at the waste transportation stage.

According to him, the discipline and integrity of the waste collectors are very important in ensuring the success of this program.

"The system can be good at the source level, but if the collectors are not disciplined, we will face problems again. Therefore, I will issue a firm instruction that unsorted waste will not be transported," Koswara stressed.

In addition, Koswara plans to issue a circular regarding waste at the household level, as an initial step in a large-scale effort to reduce waste in the city of Bandung.

If this program runs well, Koswara is optimistic that Bandung will become a cleaner and more comfortable city. (Bandung City Communication and Information Service/Fauziah)