Environmental Minister Urges Rest Areas to Support Waste-Reducing Homecoming Programme
Majalengka — Indonesia’s Minister of Environment and Head of the Environmental Control Agency (BPLH), Hanif Faisol Nurofiq, has called on rest area operators, including those at KM 166A on the Cikopo-Palimanan (Cipali) toll road in West Java, to optimise waste management to support the government’s low-waste homecoming programme.
The minister stated that rest areas serve as major gathering points for large numbers of people during the Lebaran homecoming period, making waste management in these areas critical and requiring optimal handling.
“We have already seen considerable improvements, and these will continue to be enhanced,” said the Environmental Minister at the KM 166A rest area on the Cipali toll road in Majalengka on Saturday.
He indicated that the government would continue encouraging facility operators to accelerate follow-up actions on various waste management facility improvements at rest areas.
According to the minister, waste management evaluations at these public facilities would be conducted regularly with relevant ministries, including the Ministry of Public Works (PU).
Such measures are necessary given that waste volumes at locations frequented by homebound travellers typically increase significantly during the Lebaran season.
The minister noted that President Prabowo Subianto had reminded all ministries and agencies to ensure public comfort during homecoming journeys, including from the perspective of environmental cleanliness.
“Starting with area operators being required to manage their own waste, as our waste burden is already substantial,” he stated.
He emphasised that if waste management in these areas operates optimally, visitors would be expected to replicate these practices and apply them in their home environments.
“If this becomes an example in waste management, then everyone visiting will at minimum have their thinking altered,” he said.
Meanwhile, the rest area operator at KM 166A on the Cipali toll road, Pijar Alam Bolivar, stated that it had received several recommendations from the Environmental Minister regarding improvements to waste management facilities in the area.
According to the operator, one priority requirement is establishing a waste processing room to enable more optimal segregation between organic and inorganic waste.
“We will immediately implement this, including preparing an organic waste processing area that can subsequently be converted into compost,” the operator said.