STANDING on top of the mountain of trash at Bantar Gebang waste dumping site in Bekasi on the outskirts of Jakarta, you would see an expanse of rubbish down below. No green, no vegetation, as scorching sun burns your skin and an unpleasant smell hits your nose.

Like a giant snake, a pipeline, thousands of meters long, twists around the mountain. One end of the 10-centimeter-diameter pipeline dips into a drilled well as the other end is connected