Investigating the Potential of Landfilled Plastic Waste - A Case Study of Makassar Landfill, Eastern Indonesia

Abstract

Society's demands for plastic materials continue to increase, but their impact on the environment cannot be denied due to the long decomposition periods. The destination for plastic waste is mostly in landfills. In the case of Indonesia, the Makassar landfill, the largest landfill in the eastern region of Indonesia, has exceeded its capacity and is currently mixed and buried without treatment (open dumping). The main aim of this study is to identify potential plastic waste buried in the landfill. Sampling was conducted at three landfill locations: location 1 is a non-active landfill zone that is no longer used, and locations 2 and 3 are active landfill zones that are still in operational use. The sampling method uses a Hydraulic Rotary Drilling Spindle, with a drilling depth of 0-18 meters for location 1, 0-17 meters for location 2, and 0-13 meters for location 3. The research results show that at location 1, plastic waste contributes to approximately 31% of the total waste in this old landfill zone, including plastic bags and beverage bottles. Meanwhile, at location 2, approximately 22% of plastic waste was found, and at location 3, about 14%. Testing the calorific value of plastic waste gave an average of 29,862 MJ/ton. The plastic waste found in these landfills has the potential to be recycled but requires intensive cleaning processes. Furthermore, this plastic waste can also be utilized as an energy source due to its relatively high calorific value.