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Overview
Overview
Our first stop of the day was the Benowo landfill, which partners with the Surabaya government and directly receives waste from the city. It is the first landfill to be managed by a private company in Indonesia. Did you know? They receive up to 1,500 tons of waste a day and before arriving at the landfill, waste is weighed and operated by a third party. About 1,000 tons of this waste is used for gasification which produces 12 megawatts of electricity. The remaining 500 tons goes to the landfill which produces 1.6 megawatts of electricity that is exported to a national electricity company. Benowo landfill adopts 3 types of waste technology, namely pyrolysis, gasification and incineration. Gasification, the main waste technology adopted by the landfill, is more eco-friendly due to it not producing poisonous gases under extreme heat. Furthermore, gasification is proven to be cheaper than incineration due to the controlled amount of gas used during the process. Poisonous gases such as dioxins are also removed through filters. In addition, monitors are used to check that gases are below the allowed threshold. Through this experience of visiting the landfill, we have gained insights on the innovations Surabaya adopts in waste management and realised the passion they have for adopting sustainability practices in waste management.
What we learnt about Innovation / Social Innovation
What we learnt about Innovation / Social Innovation
Improved technology can help to solve a long standing problem.
Putting waste in landfills is not sustainable in the long run. With improved technology, waste can now be reduced by generating energy with it.
Private-public partnership as a solution to environmental problems
It is interesting to know how the landfill is a private-public partnership instead of just being managed by the government. This helps to conserve government funds for other uses, and taps on private sector funding and expertise.
Impact of consumerism
Seeing a landfill up close physically is an eye-opening experience as it is definitely not a common sight in Singapore, where the Semakau landfill is on an off-shore island which is hidden away from the public view. It allows us to be more aware and be mindful consumers, learning that the things we buy on impulse would just end up as waste in the landfill one day.
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