Environment Minister Stresses Ending Open Dumping, Not Closing Landfills

Denpasar (ANTARA) - Minister of Environment and Head of the Environmental Control Agency, Moh Jumhur Hidayat, has stressed that the current push is to stop open dumping activities, not to close final processing sites (TPA). “We are not closing TPAs across Indonesia; what we are doing is stopping open dumping activities, meaning the collect, transport, and dump approach,” he said in Denpasar on Tuesday. The Environment Minister confirmed that the Suwung TPA and other landfills throughout Indonesia will remain open, but only for waste that has been sorted and processed first. For organic waste, he insisted it must be dealt with before reaching the landfill, using technology at TPS3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle sites) or TPST (Integrated Waste Processing Sites). “Currently, waste is collected carelessly and mixed together like in the old days. That is no longer allowed. From the household level it must be sorted, and if successful, only 23 to 24 per cent, just the residue, reaches the landfill. So it is still permitted,” Jumhur explained. According to the minister, the public perception that the Suwung landfill will be closed completely is a misunderstanding, as dealing with the mountain of trash is not about refusing incoming waste but rather about implementing controlled sanitary landfill techniques with geomembranes. “Every week the waste is covered, more waste comes in, it is buried and compacted again. That is what we mean by eliminating open dumping. Every three, four, or up to seven days it is covered again. So it is not about closing the TPA; that is the misunderstanding. It is not a closure of the TPA, but an end to open dumping,” he stated. By reducing the volume of waste entering the landfill, the area can be organised, with incoming residual waste used to landscape the site, and eventually the area could be turned into a recreational space or even a golf course. He noted that in Bali, the Suwung TPA has seen rapid progress, as currently 71 per cent of residents in Denpasar and Badung are already sorting their waste. “I am optimistic about resolving the waste problem,” he said.