Jakarta Governor to Crack Down on Private Sector for Illegal Waste Dumping

Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung has stated that his administration will take firm action against private parties found to be illegally dumping and stockpiling waste, as part of efforts to maintain environmental cleanliness in the capital.

‘For waste in Jakarta, I have instructed the Environmental Agency to work with the Communications and Informatics Agency to ensure that accumulated rubbish is immediately transported and cleaned. Wherever there are piles of waste, the DKI Provincial Government will move quickly,’ Pramono said after inspecting the Car-Free Day event on Jalan H.R. Rasuna Said, Setiabudi, South Jakarta, on Sunday.

Responding to public complaints about waste piles in several locations, including around Pasar Minggu Station in South Jakarta and the Penjaringan area in North Jakarta, Pramono has ordered his staff to address the issue immediately. One cause of the large-scale accumulation, such as that seen in the Penjaringan Green Open Space, is the illegal waste management practices by private parties. Permit holders for area waste management, who are supposed to send only residue to the Final Disposal Site, instead stockpiled waste along approximately 700 metres of public land.

‘We have issued a stern warning to the private party that stockpiled the waste. This act must not be repeated. If they remain stubborn, we will take action in accordance with the law,’ Pramono said. The DKI Provincial Government has deployed 10 trucks from the Environmental Agency and heavy equipment from the Water Resources Agency to expedite the clean-up process. Furthermore, on 12 May and 1 July 2026, the provincial government imposed sanctions, including fines and truck detention, on two companies proven to have dumped waste at the site.

Pramono noted that his administration is tightening oversight of waste management in private areas. Legal responsibility applies not only to waste transport vendors but also to waste producers and area managers who are negligent in fulfilling their obligations. These provisions are regulated in DKI Jakarta Governor Regulation Number 102 of 2021 concerning Waste Management Obligations in Areas and Companies, which stipulates that managers of residential, commercial, and industrial areas must manage waste within their premises. Violations can result in up to three written warnings. If obligations remain unfulfilled, the names of the areas or companies may be published on the DKI Provincial Government’s official website as potential environmental polluters. Additionally, holders of waste management permits or sanitation transport business licences who fail to carry out their duties may face written warnings, temporary suspension of permits, or revocation of licences.

Responding to the issue, Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, who also attended the Car-Free Day event, stressed the importance of educating the public on waste sorting at the household level as a key to long-term sanitation improvement. ‘The most important thing is to disseminate this knowledge to the public. Waste must be sorted at the source, by the residents themselves. I see that DKI Jakarta has been carrying out this education massively, and this needs to be continuously encouraged so that it becomes a shared culture,’ Budi said.