The Social Problem
Scattered across the Jakarta Bay to the north of Indonesia’s capital and largest city, Kepulauan Seribu is a chain of 110 small islands and home to a reef complex which is vital to the regional economy, coastal protection, and biodiversity preservation. However, the archipelago’s relative proximity to the urban behemoth of Jakarta Metropolitan Area has threatened the fragile marine ecosystem. According to a report published in Warta Kota, approximately 86 tons of waste is dumped to the bay daily from the mainland even though the islands could only collectively process 24 tons of waste on a daily basis.
Panggang Island is the most densely populated island in Kepulauan Seribu and one of the least developed. Devoid of any proper waste processing facilities, the island has struggled to manage solid waste washed ashore. The disposal of household and industrial waste into the Jakarta Bay, particularly by individuals and businesses in mainland Jakarta, has put immense stress on the island environment. To make matters worse, most households on the island use burial pits to dispose their waste—a method that is not sustainable given the geography of Panggang Island.