TEMPO.CO, Surabaya - The Surabaya city government in East Java saves around Rp2 billion every year, thanks to an organic waste processing program to produce compost fertilizer.
Surabaya is known for its many greenbelts, both in the center of the city and in its densely-populated areas, Head of the Surabaya City Hygiene and Landscaping Office, Chalid Bukhori, said on Wednesday.
"Of course, the greenbelts need special treatment, including daily watering, and fertilizing," he said.
In order to maintain the land and plants, both in the city parks and greenbelts, the office fertilizes them every day, he said.
So far, two kinds of compost produced by the Landscaping offices compost house is being used. The compost has proven capable of fertilizing the soil in the city parks, greenbelts and the land owned by city dwellers, he said.
"Everyday, the compost fertilizer, either in solid or liquid form, is obtained from the waste carried by compactor trucks. The waste is later sorted at Superdepo Sutorejo to obtain organic waste to produce fertilizer at the compost house. The non-organic waste is processed at the garbage bank," he said.
This way, the garbage bank makes a profit of Rp150 million to Rp200 million per month, markets are able to cut down their waste-related operating cost by up to 50 percent. Since the waste is not dumped into landfills, the City Hygiene and Landscaping Office can save up to Rp2 billion per year, he said.
ANTARA
