Environment Minister asserts KEK Kura-Kura not reason for Suwung landfill closure
Denpasar (ANTARA) - Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq has emphasised that the existence of the Kura-Kura Bali Special Economic Zone (KEK) on Serangan Island is not a reason for the impending closure of the Suwung landfill.
“We have no business with the Kura-Kura Bali KEK, so there is none,” said Minister Hanif during a visit to the Tahura TPST in the Suwung landfill area in Denpasar on Friday.
To the media, the Environment Minister firmly stated that the landfill’s closure is a national target and not limited to Bali, so the presence or absence of the KEK does not influence the government’s decision.
“I have already conveyed that everything applies generally; no one is permitted to process waste without standards,” he said.
It is known that since the Environment Minister imposed restrictions on organic waste entering the Suwung landfill last Wednesday (1/4), various waste management issues have arisen, from full TPST and TPS3R facilities to residents littering indiscriminately and burning waste.
Various public complaints have since surfaced on social media, particularly linking the sudden Suwung landfill restrictions to the operational plans of the Kura-Kura Bali KEK mall not far from the landfill site.
The process has been gradual, starting with the Environment Ministry’s presence in Bali in 2024, undergoing various dynamics in 2025, and finally implementing restrictions in 2026, with a total closure of the Suwung landfill in August.
“We are required to achieve waste management at 63.41 per cent; that figure can only be reached if we close all open dumping practices across the country,” he said.
This also reinforces that waste management enforcement and legal action are not only applied to Bali Province, although Bali has been designated as a pilot with the target of fully closing the Suwung landfill in August 2026.
“From 2025 to the end, we have only managed to close 30 per cent of open dumping from 485 landfills, leaving 70 per cent or about 369 landfills nationwide, including Suwung; we are giving a deadline to all provincial, regency/city governments to end open dumping by the end of 2026,” he said.
In addition to achieving this target, the Environment Minister also stated that the closure of the Suwung landfill as a priority stems from instructions from President Prabowo Subianto, who has paid special attention to waste problems on this tourism island.
“Therefore, we will apply more pressure on several aspects so that what is mandated by the President can be carried out as best as possible, to the maximum,” said Hanif Faisol.