Engage People to Recover the Leftover
Dr. Bernadia I. Tjandradewi from UCLG ASPAC, the Mayor of Jambi City Dr. Syarif Fasha, Dr. Ram Tiwaree from ESCAP, and Ir. Sinta S. Soemiarno from Ministry of Environment and Forestry Indonesia at the Groundbreaking Ceremony of the IRRC in Jambi.
Don’t let opportunity go to waste. The local government of Jambi City embraces this principle. It has joined hands with UCLG ASPAC and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) for the implementation of ESCAP’s project on “Pro-poor and sustainable solid waste management in secondary cities and small towns in Asia-Pacific” in Jambi City. Through this project, these three partners are establishing an Integrated Resource Recovery Center (IRRC) in Jambi City, which will help the city to recover economic value from its waste resources and yield economic, ecological, and social benefits, thereby contributing to the sustainable development of the city. On 27 September 2017, the local government of Jambi City, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry of Indonesia, UCLG ASPAC, and ESCAP held the groundbreaking ceremony for initiating the construction of the IRRC.
The IRRC is a decentralized facility that receives segregated municipal solid waste and transforms it into organic compost, biogas and recyclables cost effectively near the source of waste. The implementation of the IRRC is built on partnerships with local and national stakeholders, such as local communities, civil society organizations, national government agencies, and local government entities. The integral involvement of local communities helps to shape their behaviour positively towards waste minimization and recycling. In Jambi City, IRRC is being constructed in Talangbanjar market, where the market vendors will provide their segregated waste to the IRRC. In return, the IRRC will generate organic compost that can be used for landscaping and enhancing land productivity, and biogas that will be converted electricity which will power the electrical lights around the market. During the groundbreaking ceremony, Dr. Bernadia Irawati Tjandradewi, Secretary General of UCLG ASPAC, mentioned, “Jambi City is one of two cities chosen in Indonesia for establishing pilot IRRCs, due to the strong commitment of Jambi City’s Mayor, Dr. Syarif Fasha, and the cooperation among Jambi City agencies, such as Public Works, Environmental, Trade and Industry. This is a leading example to other cities in Indonesia that want to meet their waste management challenges.” Ir. Sinta Saptarina Soemiarno, M.Sc., Director of Monitoring and Evaluation of Hazardous and Non-Hazardous Waste Management, Ministry of Environment and Forestry of Indonesia, stated “MOEF expresses its sincere gratitude to ESCAP who initiated this cooperation and has been fully committed to the success of the project in Jambi. Indonesia needs innovation on waste management, as the increasing amount of waste is creating serious problems in various cities. Through this project, ESCAP is helping Jambi City and Malang Regency in transforming waste – from problem to opportunity.” Dr. Ram Tiwaree, Economic Affairs Officer at ESCAP stated, “ESCAP would like to congratulate Jambi City and UCLG ASPAC for initiating the construction of the Integrated Resource Recovery Center in Jambi with this groundbreaking ceremony. The IRRC in Jambi is one of two pilot projects being implemented by ESCAP in Indonesia and we hope that the successful implementation and sustainable operation of the IRRC in Jambi will inspire other cities in Indonesia to also implement IRRCs.” Dr. Syarif Fasha, Mayor of Jambi City, welcomed this national and international cooperation, mentioning, “Jambi City has worked long, hard, and consistently to establish this pilot project. Its commitment is based on Jambi City’s development vision and mission, to make Jambi City a center of Trade and Services based on a welldeveloped and cultured society. As part of that vision Jambi City wants that urban infrastructure that can be enjoyed by many yet remain environmentally friendly.” UCLG ASPAC and ESCAP hope to replicate the success of the IRRC in other cities in Indonesia, in cooperation with national and local government agencies.