Environment Minister: Highway Rest Areas Must Have Waste Management Facilities

Semarang — Indonesia’s Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq has affirmed that rest areas along highway toll roads must be equipped with waste management facilities.

“We will ensure that all rest areas have waste management facilities by May,” he stated during an inspection of Mangkang Terminal in Semarang, Central Java, on Sunday.

The inspection was part of the “Low-Waste Exodus” programme ahead of Eid 2026, which aims to ensure that terminal environments remain clean and that services for travellers operate smoothly.

Beyond terminals, the minister also visited several rest areas along toll routes as the Eid migration period approaches in 2026.

“Some rest areas have already provided facilities, but some remain unresponsive,” he said.

The minister noted that rest areas along toll routes currently generate substantial waste volumes of approximately 0.5 to 1 tonne daily.

“This is significant. If not improved or addressed seriously, it will become an environmental problem, as well as an issue for the municipalities and regencies through which the toll road passes,” he said.

Consequently, the minister has ordered rest area operators to provide waste management facilities no later than May 2026.

“Any that are not equipped with waste management by May will receive enforceable orders with penalties. We have already announced this during our previous inspections,” he said.

For terminals, the minister stated that waste management should be coordinated with the Environmental Affairs Office (DLH) of each municipality and regency, as volumes there are relatively smaller.

“For smaller facilities like this, cleanliness of the environment is the priority, and this falls under the supervision of the Semarang City Environmental Affairs Office,” he said.

Therefore, the minister said, his ministry will not mandate waste management facilities for terminals, as sorting facilities are sufficient given the smaller waste volumes.

“That is adequate because the volume is small. However, for rest areas it is mandatory, because the waste volume averages nearly 0.5 to 1 tonne daily,” he concluded.