Bacteriological air quality at transfer station area (case study: Gegerkalong Transfer Station, Bandung City)

Abstract

This study aims to measure air bacteriological concentration, to determine the effect of temperature, humidity, and wind speed on bacteriological concentration, and to identify the genus of bacteria found around Gegerkalong waste transfer station. Sampling of air bacteria at stations was based on a radius of 0, 10, 30 and 60 meters East, West, South and North of the transfer station at 09:00, 12:00 and 18:30 with 3 replicates. The method used to measure the concentration of air bacteria was the settling plate method. The results showed that maximum concentration of air bacteria found around the transfer station area was 67626 cfu/m3 and the minimum was 1153 cfu/m3 for agar nutrient media. Referring to the quality standards of the UK Environmental Agency, bacterial concentration in Gegerkalong waste transfer station exceeds the bacterial concentration standard of 1000 cfu/m3, whereas Coliform bacteria were below the standard. Bacteria found in the air around the transfer station are Pseudomonas, Klebsiella, Shigella, Alcaligenes, Salmonella, Escherichia, Bacillus, Staphyloococcus and Coliform. These can be concluded that a transfer station can be a source of airborne bacteria dispersion, which can have an impact on the surrounding community.