Environment Minister Clarifies: Landfills Not Closing, Open Dumping Banned

Environment Minister Moh Jumhur Hidayat has corrected information regarding plans to close final waste disposal sites (TPAs). Jumhur stressed that the government has never planned to close TPAs, but rather to completely stop the practice of open dumping, which has been triggering an ecological crisis. “Regarding the closure of TPAs, I emphasise that TPAs will not be closed. It is therefore wrong if anyone states that TPAs are being closed. What is prohibited is the practice of open dumping, which is the piling up of rubbish and letting it accumulate without adequate management,” Jumhur asserted in an official statement on Wednesday. The Ministry of Environment is encouraging all TPAs in Indonesia, including in Bali, to transform towards a controlled landfill or sanitary landfill system equipped with a geomembrane layer to prevent leachate water pollution into the soil. Jumhur appreciated the progress of waste management in Badung Regency and Denpasar City. Approximately 71 percent of Bali’s community members are already sorting their waste independently from the source. He stated that Bali has successfully processed organic waste into fertiliser at the Klungkung facility, whilst the remaining waste is converted into Refuse-Derived Fuel. In August 2026, Bali will operate a new facility that converts high-calorie waste into an alternative fuel to replace coal. Beyond infrastructure, Jumhur highlighted the importance of creating a green jobs ecosystem through strengthening the community-managed waste sector. He firmly rejected any discourse on stopping community-managed operations that are already running well on the ground. “If their finances are indeed tight, but they can then create decent employment, there is nothing wrong with that. City or regency governments with budgetary capacity must provide subsidies. I do not agree if community-managed systems that are already running well are stopped. We must not stop people’s livelihoods, especially if their work benefits the environment,” Jumhur said. According to him, the government’s targets for achieving food self-sufficiency, water self-sufficiency, and energy self-sufficiency will not be met without a preserved environment.