Kepulauan Seribu, or the Thousand Islands, is reportedly surrounded by 20 tonnes of trash.
The rubbish originates from residential areas and industries across the 11 islands.
The trash from nine rivers in Jakarta, Banten, and Bekasi have also accumulated in the area. A massive clean-up programme was arranged on Thursday 12th September. The local government has also arranged for four trash collecting vessels. However, they have only managed to remove 11 tonnes of the discarded waste.
“The sub-district administrators continue to handle the effects that are caused by the trash before it becomes a giant trash pile in the ocean,” Kepulauan Seribu’s Deputy Mayor Junaedi said.
Earlier, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan stated that he had instructed several environmental agencies to come up with a sustainable waste management system which could transform the trash to create energy sources such as electricity, gas, and organic fertilisers.
Source: Tempo
Image: Wartakota