Environment Minister Allows Organic Waste into Suwung Landfill Until TPST Equipment is Ready

Denpasar (ANTARA) - Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq stated that permission for organic waste to enter the Suwung final disposal site (TPA) twice a week is granted until the processing equipment and facilities at the integrated waste processing site (TPST) are 100% ready. “We have carefully considered that we still need certain space at Suwung to place organic waste; this is only for the remnants from facilities that we haven’t had time to build until the end of June or July,” Hanif said in Denpasar on Friday. It is known that after two weeks of the Ministry of Environment limiting organic waste entry to the Suwung TPA, the community-managed waste forum submitted demands because organic waste at the TPST and Reduce-Reuse-Recycle Waste Processing Site (TPS3R) was full, leading the minister to permit the TPA to open for organic waste twice a week. In addition, TPST Tahura I and Tahura II are targeted to process 100 tonnes of waste each per day, with all supporting equipment to arrive in June 2026. “So, the equipment is confirmed based on real data from the Mayor of Denpasar to be complete by early or late June, but preparations are already underway. I think we don’t need to wait long; I am confident that by July, all waste can be handled by Bali Province,” he said. Not only optimising the TPST, the Environment Minister requested that during the permission period for disposing organic waste, the Denpasar City Government and Badung Regency Government increase the capacity of TPS3R in villages. “There are 23 TPS3R in Denpasar and around 40 in Badung. We ask for their waste management capacity to be increased, such as the new Sesetan TPS3R which is at 10 tonnes; we request it to reach 35 tonnes according to its capacity; there must be clear division,” Hanif said. For operational equipment for waste processing at TPST, it is prepared by local governments through waste handling budgets, but to increase capacity, the Ministry of Environment also provides support. Although there is currently leniency for disposing organic waste at the Suwung TPA, Minister Hanif reminded that organic waste poses significant environmental hazards if mixed. The policy of only accepting inorganic waste and residue is also implemented to ensure waste is sorted, because when waste-to-electricity energy processing technology (PSEL) operates in the future, today’s sorted waste will become high-quality waste that is easy to process. Therefore, at least at the household level, he requested that waste sorting continue to be carried out and improved. He noted that 65% of Bali’s population has already done sorting in just two weeks, hoping that this spirit is maintained and Bali, especially Denpasar and Badung, can become a national benchmark.