Environment Minister Urges Bali to Educate Waste Management Vendors

Environment Minister and Head of the Environmental Control Agency, Moh Jumhur Hidayat, has asked local governments in Bali to educate private waste management operators, or vendors, involved in waste transportation. “For instance, with swakelola vendors, I think they should be mentored. They may have been in the business for decades, but without any guidance so far, perhaps they have become lacklustre,” Jumhur said in Denpasar on Tuesday. The Minister made these remarks in response to a waste management discussion with hotel, restaurant, and café (horeka) actors in Bali, where one of the obstacles is selecting private operators capable of handling waste according to regulations. He reasoned that if the horeka sector focuses on choosing good vendors without giving them the opportunity to understand proper regulations, those who are sidelined will have their source of income disrupted. “Now they can be mentored, so there is no need for new rules. There might be thousands of people involved in this vendor business, so the principle is that in every transition related to the green economy, no one should be displaced,” Jumhur stated. As an example, Denpasar City Government currently has 200 waste trucks, while private operators own 700 fleets. Jumhur noted that these 200 trucks need to be organised so that waste is not scattered or causing odours on the roads; subsequently, private operators will be sure to follow this good example. Aside from local governments providing education, the Environment Minister believes that Bali, as a tourism region, also has the budget to handle problems like the aforementioned waste trucks. The central government will also assist Bali by facilitating the sale of processed waste products to buyers, ensuring the waste handling scheme, especially from horeka sources, can run well. The private waste operators will help local governments stop open dumping activities at landfill sites (TPA), allowing processed waste results, whether from TPS3R or TPST facilities, to be channelled to buyers. “The waste management issue in Bali is on the right track, and we are activating everything we have. We will resolve this soon; I feel it may not even take until 2028,” the Environment Minister concluded.