Overview
Karawang, West Java, Indonesia
The limestone factory in Karawang collects international imported waste, which is mostly used plastic, to use it as fuel for the incineration process. Local villagers seem to have become used to breathing the toxic air, despite its toxicity, when exposed to it over a long period of time.
The smoke from the combustion reduces visibility. The thick smoke forces vehicles to stop. The smoke irritates inhabitants’ eyes and skin. A shortness of breath comes as an after effect.
Downstream Community Stories
Waste, with a mix of single-use plastic, is being dumped to feed the limestone kiln.
The kiln needs to burn large amounts of waste in order to produce the limestone.
Pak Danu
A worker in the kilns
Pak Danu speaks to the colonial legacy of limestone.
Pak Ace
A worker in the kilns
For the moment Pak Ace sees the benefits of having a job at the kiln, and prefers to turn a blind eye on the potential health impacts on people and planet.
In the heap of waste for the fire, a cargo of tires have arrived to be burned.
Activists monitor the levels of air pollution near the kiln.
Bu Ida
Farmer
Bu Ida says she has been exposed to the limestone kiln since she was a child, and is used to it.
