Bantargebang Landslide: WALHI Demands Urgent Waste Management Reform
The Indonesian Environmental Forum (WALHI) has demanded that the government immediately reform waste management governance following a landslide at a waste mound at the Bantargebang Integrated Waste Processing Facility (TPST) in Bekasi, West Java, which claimed lives.
WALHI’s urban justice campaigner, Wahyu Eka Setyawan, views the incident as evidence of government failure, particularly by the Ministry of Environment and the Jakarta Provincial Government, in implementing safe waste management policies. “This tragedy confirms that the waste management system based on accumulation at landfill sites has reached a critical point and poses a threat to human safety,” Wahyu stated in a written statement on Sunday, 9 March 2026.
The Bantargebang landslide, according to Wahyu, is not merely an accident but rather a consequence of the waste management model that has long relied on large-scale collection, transport and disposal practices. The accumulation of waste in mountainous formations is considered to pose disaster risks to workers, waste pickers, and residents living in the vicinity.
Wahyu drew parallels to the Leuwigajah landslide in Cimahi in 2005, which killed hundreds of people. However, more than two decades after that tragedy, Indonesia’s waste management approach has undergone little significant change.
He added that during recent monsoon months, several other landslides have occurred at final disposal sites. “During this rainy season alone, there have been approximately three to five landslide incidents over the past six months,” Wahyu stated.
According to WALHI, conditions at Bantargebang reflect a wider crisis across various cities. Many final disposal sites have exceeded their capacity whilst waste production continues to increase without adequate reduction strategies.
The environmental organisation noted that hundreds of landfill sites in Indonesia still operate as open dumps. Of approximately 550 landfill sites nationally, around 343 have reportedly been closed for failing to meet management standards.
Wahyu characterised the situation as reflecting Indonesia’s “waste mountain emergency”. As long as landfills remain the primary solution, the risks of ecological and humanitarian disaster are expected to continue rising.
He also highlighted the practice of shifting waste management problems between regions. According to him, Jakarta’s waste management failures have impacted surrounding areas such as Bekasi. Meanwhile, the closure of the Cipeucang landfill in South Tangerang has prompted that region to seek new disposal sites as far as Serang and Bogor.
WALHI therefore demands that the government accelerate the transformation of its waste management system with emphasis on source reduction. The government is also urged to strengthen extended producer responsibility (EPR) policies and promote waste sorting and reuse systems at the city and community levels.