Down in the dumps, Indonesia struggles to control growing amounts of Covid-19 waste

Waste pickers sorting out garbage at Burangkeng dumpsite in Bekasi regency, West Java.
Waste pickers sorting out garbage at Burangkeng dumpsite in Bekasi regency, West Java.ST PHOTO: LINDA YULISMAN
Indonesia Correspondent
  • Updated
    Jan 10, 2021, 4:22 pm
  • Published
    Jan 9, 2021, 5:00 am SGT
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JAKARTA - At the Burangkeng dumpsite on the eastern edge of Indonesia's capital, green and blue surgical masks and white rubber gloves are strewn among the detritus of daily household living.

Under the scorching sun, waste picker Oom Komalasari, 48, protected by only socks and gloves, sifts through the refuse for anything of value as goats scavenge the same foul-smelling trash for food.

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