January 2, 2025
JAKARTA – West Jakarta’s popular Kota Tua (old town) tourist destination was left with heaps of trash on Wednesday after more than 29,000 revelers gathered in the area for New Year’s Eve celebrations the night before.
Trash, from plastic food packaging to drink containers, was visible along the pedestrian pathways from Fatahillah Park to the Jakarta Kota train station.
A number of scavengers were seen collecting recyclable waste, while Kota Tua cleaning staff worked to remove other scattered trash.
The tourist site was cleared of visitors by 1 a.m. on Wednesday to facilitate the cleanup process.
Such waste buildup has become an annual issue in Kota Tua, as one of the city’s prime areas for New Year’s Eve celebrations. In the previous celebration, some 12.8 tonnes of waste were discarded at the site.
The West Jakarta administration deployed 300 personnel from the local environmental agency to handle the trash during New Year’s Eve.
“We had a meeting with the West Jakarta mayor, and we have prepared 300 personnel to clean up the trash,” said West Jakarta Environmental Agency head Achmad Hariadi on Friday, as reported by Antara.