Indonesia Calls for Better Waste Management After Landfill Landslide Kills Four

RRI.CO.ID, Bekasi - An open pile of garbage at the Bantar Gebang Integrated Waste Processing Site in Bekasi, West Java, collapsed from a height of 50 meters on Sunday, 8 March 2026, causing the deaths of four people. The facility processes waste from the nearby Special Region of Jakarta, with incoming waste volumes reaching up to 8,000 tons per day.

While inspecting the landslide site on the same day, Environment Minister, Hanif Faisol Nurofiq, said the volume of waste at the landfill must be managed gradually to prevent it from becoming further overburdened. He stated that in the future, the facility should accept only inorganic waste.

"We must ensure that Bantar Gebang changes. In the future, only inorganic waste will be allowed into Bantar Gebang; the rest must be sorted," Hanif said.

Hanif added that the Indonesian government has begun a pilot project through a new waste management facility in Rorotan, East Jakarta. The facility can process up to 5,000 tons of waste per day and produce refuse-derived fuel (RDF).

However, the facility has not operated optimally because incoming waste is still unsorted. For this reason, he urged the Jakarta government to follow President Prabowo Subianto’s directive on national waste management by sorting waste starting at the local level.

"All components of the Jakarta Special Region government must, starting today, immediately go to the field and carry out the president’s directive, and begin sorting waste from the source," Hanif said.

"There is no other option. No matter how advanced the technology is, waste sorting is the only thing we can do," he continued.

In addition, the Bantar Gebang Integrated Waste Processing Site began operating in 1989 and is jointly managed by the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government and the West Java Provincial Government. Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment says it has now accumulated about 80 million tons of waste.

Earlier landslides occurred twice in 2003 and early 2026, with the 2003 landslide claiming some lives. Given the recurrence of these incidents and the risk to lives, Hanif stressed that those responsible will be dealt with firmly in accordance with the law, with criminal penalties ranging from 5 to 10 years.