CIREBON — Waste management continues to be a long-standing issue that shows little sign of resolution. Year after year, piles of garbage keep growing and have become a troubling sight in many areas, including villages across Cirebon Regency. Tuesday (9/12/2025).
Although the Cirebon Regency Government has prepared a major long-term solution through the planned construction of a Waste-to-Energy Power Plant (PLTSa), waste problems at the village level remain far from resolved.
This situation is evident in Japura Kidul Village, Astanajapura District, Cirebon Regency, where waste is still a major concern.
Waste management in the village has been delegated to the local youth organization, Karang Taruna. However, various obstacles have prevented the system from operating effectively.
One of the waste management officers from Karang Taruna Japura Kidul, Sutrisno, said that the waste management process has been plagued by numerous challenges.
The most urgent problem at present is a broken garbage collection truck, which has been out of service for more than a week, leaving residents’ waste uncollected.
“The problems range from operational costs and insufficient retribution fees to a garbage truck that frequently breaks down. Now the truck is broken again and hasn’t been operating for over a week,” Sutrisno said.
He explained that through a village meeting, Karang Taruna and the village government agreed to set a waste collection fee of IDR 4,000 /household.
However, the amount is far from sufficient to cover operational costs, especially since the waste management involves three workers.
“It’s not even enough to pay salaries, let alone cover other expenses such as vehicle maintenance. A fee of IDR 4,000 a household is clearly insufficient,” he added.
Sutrisno also revealed that the village government had actually allocated a salary budget of IDR 1 million a month for one waste management worker.
However, during the nearly three months since Karang Taruna took over waste management, the salary has not been received.
“When we asked the village administration, we were told that the waste management salary had already been taken by the previous manager until next year. So we are managing waste without any budget support from either the village or the regional government,” he explained.
Under these conditions, Karang Taruna Japura Kidul has relied solely on residents’ retribution fees to run the village’s waste management system.
However, the funds are inadequate, especially since the village only has one garbage truck, which is old and no longer roadworthy, resulting in frequent breakdowns.
“We’ve tried to make repairs as best as we can, but there are still engine spare parts that need to be replaced. We can no longer afford to cover the repair costs for the garbage truck,” Sutrisno said.
He expressed hope that both the village and regional governments would give serious attention to waste management issues, not only in Japura Kidul but also in other villages seeking to be free from waste problems.
Meanwhile, when contacted, Japura Kidul Village Head (Kuwu) Heriyanto said that the village administration has made efforts to address the waste issue. However, regarding complaints about the broken garbage truck, he stated that efforts are still underway to get the vehicle back into operation.
On the other hand, Sutrisno claimed that he had contacted the village head several times since the truck broke down about a week ago but received no response.
He even invited several parties, including the village treasurer, to contribute personal funds to repair the garbage truck.
“The treasurer said that because it’s the end of the year, all the budget has already been used up,” Sutrisno said.
As a result, waste management in Japura Kidul Village is currently operating under severe limitations. Residents’ garbage continues to pile up, while village-level waste managers struggle without adequate budgetary support.
This situation highlights the ongoing waste management challenges in Cirebon Regency, which require serious attention and concrete solutions—not only at the policy level, but down to the village level as well.
