Environmental Minister Assures Investigation into Fatal Bantargebang Landfill Collapse, Suspects to be Named
Indonesia’s Environmental Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq has affirmed that his ministry is investigating criminal aspects of the waste collapse at the Bantargebang Waste Disposal Site (TPST) in Bekasi City, which killed seven people. Hanif stated that accountability must be assigned for the fatal incident.
“This is in line with Law No. 32 of 2009, under which facility operators bear legal responsibility. Similarly, Law No. 18 of 2008 also establishes legal obligations that must be fulfilled,” Hanif told journalists at Kramat Jati Market in East Jakarta on Wednesday, 11 March 2026.
Hanif said the investigation process is ongoing and that his office will soon identify suspects responsible for the incident.
“We will accelerate the completion of this investigation. Hopefully within a week, next week, we will have named suspects in order to uphold justice for all and to create a learning moment for waste management,” he explained.
Hanif noted that under Law No. 18 of 2008, open dumping has been prohibited. He said the investigation will examine the negligence in open dumping practices, including identifying all parties involved.
“Therefore, this investigation will encompass all officials responsible since the law was enacted. The law actually stipulated a five-year transition period from 2008, by which all open dumping should have ended,” he stated.
“So this incident is just the tip of the iceberg. There are definitely former officials whom we must also question about why these open dumping activities were not halted,” he added.
Hanif also highlighted the overloaded waste conditions at the Bantargebang site that endangered workers. Additionally, Hanif noted violations in waste management at the facility.
“From an environmental perspective, we have also identified heavy metal contamination in rivers and wells in the Bantargebang area. This will continue to be investigated. We must immediately and gradually transition waste management away from Bantargebang,” Hanif said.
He assured that authorities will not hesitate to impose sanctions on those who violate waste management regulations and called on all parties to comply with existing rules.
“We must end this mess immediately. This is a critical moment with significant strategic support from our highest leader, the President, for us to resolve the waste issue by 2029, which must become our turning point in waste management with measurable targets,” he concluded.
The Bantargebang waste collapse occurred on Sunday, 8 March 2026, at approximately 14.00 WIB. The incident happened suddenly, with waste collapsing and burying market stalls and several waste trucks. Search and rescue operations were conducted, resulting in seven confirmed deaths and six survivors rescued.