DKI Jakarta is one of the most crowded cities in Indonesia; in
2007, the population reached 7,552,444 people. The city has a
high level of unemployment and the gap between incomes and
classes continues to widen. Many people who move from the
countryside end up working as scavengers in Indonesia’s biggest
landfill at Bantar Gerbang. Established in 1988, Bantar Gerbang
is located in East Jakarta. Covering 272 acres, it operates 24/7
and holds more than 6000 tons of industrial waste that is
delivered by more than 600 trucks daily. Roughly 5,000 workers,
including women and children, live around Bantar Gerbang and
work as trash pickers who sort and collect aluminum tins and
plastic bottles. Though Bantar Gerbang offers workers the
opportunity to support their families, the jobs are dangerous
and the working conditions are largely unregulated.
Consequently, illnesses such as upper respiratory tract
infections, tuberculosis, skin infections, and tapeworm are
common among workers. Though the legal work-age in Indone