Bantargebang Deemed High-Risk Without Modern Waste Management System
Jakarta, 9 March 2026 — Hardiyanto Kenneth, a member of the Jakarta Provincial Legislature from the PDI Perjuangan faction, has stressed the necessity of reorganising and modernising the waste management system at the Bantargebang Integrated Waste Disposal Site (TPST) in Bekasi City.
The statement came following a landslide incident at the facility that claimed five lives and left several others missing as of Monday, 9 March 2026.
“Without serious reorganisation and more modern waste management systems, the risk of disasters such as landslides, fires, environmental contamination, and threats to worker and neighbouring community safety will continue to occur,” Kenneth told Kompas.com on Monday.
He assessed the incident as a serious warning regarding Jakarta’s increasingly concerning waste management practices.
The Bantargebang TPST handles the majority of the capital’s waste with volumes increasing daily. Consequently, he urged the Jakarta Provincial Government to conduct a comprehensive investigation, including evaluation of security systems, stockpile management, and worker safety standards.
“I urge the Jakarta Provincial Government to immediately conduct a full evaluation of the management and security systems at Bantargebang. Human safety must be the top priority in managing a facility of this scale,” Kenneth stated firmly.
Several strategic measures he advocated for include waste sorting from household level and expansion of waste banks at the neighbourhood and village level.
Other important steps include community education and development of waste processing facilities such as waste-to-energy, refuse-derived fuel (RDF) conversion, and composting operations.
“Jakarta urgently needs a transformation of its waste management system towards a more modern, sustainable, and technology-based approach,” Kenneth added.
Furthermore, Kenneth emphasised the importance of reorganising the Bantargebang area and protecting workers and waste collectors. Waste stockpiling zones require improvement, drainage and slope reinforcement must be enhanced, and stockpile monitoring systems should be updated in accordance with safety standards.