Solid waste management solutions for Semarang, Indonesia

Semarang, the capital city of the Central Java Province, Indonesia, has been struggling to overcome its municipal solid waste problem. The current waste disposal system covers about 60% of the total waste generated. The paper begins by introducing the solid waste problem in Semarang with particular attention to the Five Year Development Plans. The Adipura program is introduced and recent measures for improving urban infrastructure assessed. The socioeconomic role of scavengers in the waste management process is detailed and the existing solid waste management system in Semarang is critiqued. The paper then introduces the Semarang study area. Waste characteristics are examined and the market value of recyclable materials is estimated at about Rp. 8 billion ($A 3.6 million) per year. The socioeconomic importance of scavengers is recognized in the reduction of domestic solid waste. The final section of the paper recommends that Semarang should consider source separation, home and large-scale composting as a means to deal with its solid waste problem.