Pribadi Wicaksono (Kontributor), Yogyakarta – As the rainy season starts in early November, Yogyakarta once again faces a waste emergency as garbage piles up on roadsides, emitting an unpleasant odor that disrupts residents' daily activities.

One of the locations in Yogyakarta where waste is piling up is the cultural heritage site of Kotabaru, where the waste depot has been filled with dozens of tons of uncollected trash. After downpours, the piling-up waste leaks foul stench.

"The waste pile covers half of the roads, hindering vehicles that pass through," said Parwanto, a resident who works in Kotabaru on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, while noting the smell that comes out of the waste.

The father of two hopes the waste pile will be cleared soon, considering Kotabaru is among some of the busiest areas in Yogyakarta, which houses cafes, places of worship, offices, and universities.

"Many tourists hang out in Kotabaru cafes, and various events such as night runs and heritage explorations are frequently held here," he said, emphasizing how bothersome the odor emitted by the piles of waste.

20 tons of trash piled up

Head of the Waste Management Division of the Yogyakarta City Environmental Office, Ahmad Haryoko, mentioned that around 20 tons of waste are piling up in the Kotabaru waste depot.

"The garbage pile occurs because some residents do not comply with the trash collection schedule, and since no one guards the depot at night, residents freely dispose of the garbage," he said.

Since the waste emergency hit Yogyakarta in late 2023, leading to the closure of the Piyungan final disposal site in May 2024, waste seems to be a relentless problem in Yogyakarta. The city government has started to schedule trash disposal times at the depots to ensure regular garbage collection.

Ahmad said the city authorities have planned to gradually collect the trash piles in the waste depots in Kotabaru and other locations. "We also coordinate with the officers to guard the depots at night," he said.

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/1937817/yogyakarta-grapples-with-waste-piles-as-rainy-season-start