‘Orange troops’ to keep Jakarta clean during Asian Games

The “orange troops” clear out ditches on March 2, 2017 along Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan in Central Jakarta by pulling out cable jackets that had clogged the waterway. (The Jakarta Post/Wienda Parwitasari)

JAKARTA — The Jakarta Environment Agency is committed to keeping the city clean during the 2018 Asian Games. It has said it will deploy Public Facility Maintenance Agency (PPSU) officers, often referred to as “orange troops”, to all sporting venues, the athletes village and roads that will be used by athletes.

Two city workers and a street sweeper will be positioned every 200 meters along non-toll roads to keep the streets free of trash.

Special attention will also be given to the city’s main thoroughfares, such as Jl. Sudirman and Jl. MH Thamrin, and several tourist spots in the city.

Jakarta Environment Agency head Isnawa Adji said 1,000 city workers would also be deployed as part of an “environmental crew”.

“They will be in charge of monitoring and reminding Asian Games guests and spectators to keep the venues clean,” Isnawa said in a statement on Sunday.

He added that the agency would ask small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and venue tenants to disseminate information about being environmentally friendly and reducing the use of plastic waste during the event.

During the Games, the agency will provide 25 portable toilets, two accessible toilets, 10 water tanks, 16 garbage trucks, 40 road sweepers, 100 motorcycles equipped with trash cans and 450 garbage bins from Germany.