Recovery Practice of Unsorted Solid Waste: from Landfill towards Economic Benefits in Semarang, Indonesia

Abstract

The field study in Jatibarang landfill in Semarang was conducted by quantifying the solid waste that had been collected and transferred to the landfill to obtain the amount of the solid waste generated by the residents of Semarang. The gross weight of the waste was calculated by randomly selecting and weighing the shipments on the scale before the load was dumped by the vehicle. The solid waste received by Jatibarang landfill is about 651.5 tons per day, with a density of 245 kg/m3. The composition of domestic waste in Jatibarang landfill is 77.7% organic waste, 14.19% plastics, 5.31% mixed paper, and 1.36% others. The inorganic wastes in Jatibarang landfill still retain economic value of IDR 141 million per day when fully recovered. The current recovery practices are performed by scavengers who live in the surrounding area of Jatibarang landfill.