North Jakarta RDF Waste Facility Trial Halted After Odor Complaints

KBRN, Jakarta: A trial of the Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF) processing plant in Rorotan, North Jakarta, has been temporarily suspended following protests from local residents about the facility's odor.

Residents complained about the smell emanating from the waste processing facility, which is still in the trial phase. The odor has been noticeable for the past two weeks.

Among those affected are residents living in the Jakarta Garden City complex, Rorotan, and Tambun Rengas Cakung.

Residents went to the RDF Plant to see firsthand the waste processing inside.

The head of neighborhood unit (RT) 18/community unit (RW) 14, East Cakung Village, Wahyu Andre, said that his arrival with other residents was to hear directly the reason for the RDF Plant's operation because, according to him, the odor produced disrupted the activities of residents around the facility.

"There was indeed a leak yesterday. In our agreement with the RDF party, they promised to fix it. But before that, they will stop the trial activities first," Wahyu said when met on Saturday, February 22, 2025, quoted by rri.co.id.

Residents hoped that there would be an evaluation and improvement from the RDF Plant manager before they conducted a trial of one of the world's largest waste managers.

"So we will meet again to discuss the evaluation. Not only with JGC residents but also residents affected around this Rorotan RDF," Wahyu said.

Residents finally canceled the planned demonstration after a meeting with the RDF Plant management.

The meeting was also attended by the Head of the Integrated Waste Management Unit (UPST) of the Jakarta Environmental Agency, Agung Pujo Winarko.

Based on the results of the meeting, the RDF management agreed to stop the trial temporarily.

"It was agreed to be temporarily halted until a further meeting between us and the affected residents," mentioned Agung.

The Rorotan RDF Plant is a crucial piece of infrastructure, given its capacity to process 2,500 tons of Jakarta's daily waste.

Refuse-derived fuel is produced from the combustible components of what is commonly known as municipal solid waste (MSW).

This waste, typically collected from industrial and commercial sites, is shredded, dried, baled, and then burned to generate electricity. ***