Rotary Club of Bali Lovina Department in cooperation with of Hygiene and Gardening Buleleng district organized a workshop about ‘how to use or process garbage into something useful’, in this case compost. The workshop was held in the village of Tukadmungga. Participants were from Rotary Club of Bali Lovina and village offices of 3 sub districts namely, the sub districts of Buleleng, sub districts of Banjar and sub dsitrict of Sukasada. Villages that participated were; Dencarik, Kayuputih, Banjar Tegeha, Banjar, Panji and Sukasada. The workshop was the first step in a program on educating villages that have difficulties handling their garbage situation.

Tukadmungga village, the host of the workshop has successfully created an integrated waste treatment facility, or TPST. This project will hopefully become a pilot project in the area. The garbage in Tukadmungga village gets processed into compost. It turns out that this is not only helping the village to get rid of it’s garbage but it also provides jobs and brings in money.

To show that the facility is an economical success Mr. Nyoman Putra who is Chairman of the Integrated Garbage processing Places Tukadmungga Village explained that the compost does not only get sold in the village itself but also in other areas.

According to Mr Gede Sumadi Putra, the representative of the Department of Hygiene and Gardening in Buleleng virtually every sub district in the regency of Buleleng could take advantage of garbage generated from their areas providing that in every district there is a willingness to process the garbage, and willingness to provide land for the treatment facility. This should be a piece of land from about 5 are. But in reality, for now, there is still very little government assistance in the solving of the waste problem, although many local governments are working on proposals for financial assistance for managing the garbage situation in their areas. Representatives from Panji explained said they had almost no ways to process garbage yet and Mr. Nyoman Putra also added that the waste problem in the regency of Buleleng very much lacks any public awareness. He said that:”no one wants to work with garbage” and there is no commitment to solve the problem.

But, on the positive side, he told the audience that with a strong commitment there is actually a good solution for the problem. People in Tukadmungga can sell their garbage to the processing facility which makes it much more interesting to separate garbage from the beginning. Which is, at home. Organic and non organic waste should be sorted out at home, but as long as this is not happening it gets sorted out in the processing facility.From the organic waste, compost can be made in only 6 weeks time. For now it is still a problem that people still dispose their garbage in gutters and on the street side but there is a change in attitude.

The reason why the Tukadmungga facility is a success is because it can support itself. No money needs to be asked from the villagers. It was recognized by government officials around the table that asking people for money to solve the garbage problems in their villages was almost ‘unthinkable’.

Conclusion of the morning was that; The regional government has already created garbage disposal points in many villages and there is money available to follow up on these first steppes. However, commitment form the desas must be the next step and, in case desas can not find desa land available for a garbage treatment facility (5 are of land) they should look at a private sponsor for land. Like happened in Tukadmungga. Social charities, like Rotary Club Bali Lovina are recognized as serious partners in solving the garbage problem. Rotary Club of Bali Lovina’s waste management committee has organized numerous cleanup events to create awareness, provided garbage bins and organized educational programs in for students and teachers. The programs of the Rotary Club of Bali Lovina are well known. Where could we go from here? There is a willingness from both sides to work in co operation to set up a good infrastructure to manage garbage.