Residents Reject Organic Waste Deliveries, Blockade Badung Regency Land in Penarungan
The delivery of organic waste scraps to a vacant plot owned by the Badung Regency Government in Penarungan Village, Mengwi Subdistrict, Badung, has elicited a strong reaction from the local community. Several residents objected and carried out a blockade action because the location was being turned into a composting centre, or a storage site for organic waste materials intended for compost.
Observations at the site revealed a prominent protest banner erected at the road junction leading to the location. The banner read: “This is a Tourism Village Area, Not a Waste Disposal Site”. In addition to the banner, residents also placed concrete barriers and piles of sandbags at the entrance to the area.
One excavator unit, which had been prepared to level and backfill the piles of organic materials, is now held up and unable to access the work point due to the blockade by residents. Only a small access route for motorbikes remains for residents with fields around the future Bung Karno Park land.
“We object because since last Sunday, trucks have been entering to deliver organic waste scraps here. There were about a dozen, if I’m not mistaken. The problem is, there has been no socialisation or information at all to the residents beforehand,” said one of the local residents when met at the site on Saturday (11/4/2026).
This rejection was triggered by the arrival of dozens of waste trucks, allegedly from the Environment and Cleanliness Department (DLHK), which began dumping loads since last Sunday. Around 10 to 15 trucks were forced to turn back, but the activity resumed the following day.
On the other hand, based on gathered information, the delivered material is claimed not to be simply piled up in a way that would cause unpleasant odours. The plan is to level the organic materials on the land that has previously been excavated.
After levelling, the material will immediately be backfilled with soil. Officials also stated that periodic watering will be carried out to suppress potential odours from spreading to the surrounding environment.
Nevertheless, the community’s concerns have not fully subsided. Residents remain anxious because this storage location directly borders sacred areas nearby, especially given its status as a tourism village.
The customary village head of Penarungan, I Made Widiada, stated that the situation on the ground is heating up because residents feel unappreciated by the relevant parties and hope for communication and socialisation before deciding to use that location.
“It seems like just a miscommunication, but outside it’s already like that for the community because there has been no socialisation. The community gets angry as a result. If there had been socialisation from the beginning, it might have been different. We could also convey it to the residents and to the Badung Regency Government,” said Made Widiada.
He assessed that the Penarungan community or customary residents regret the government’s attitude, which is seen as not conducting formal or informal coordination. In fact, the community has so far been committed to preserving the sanctity of the Penarungan environment as one of the tourist destinations in Badung.
In response to the protest action, several community representatives along with the customary village, the administrative village head, police representatives, will hold a meeting to find common ground. Made hopes for the best solution so that residents’ aspirations are accommodated and emergency waste handling can still proceed.
“Yes, if there is good communication later, and hopefully the socialisation is also good, our community will understand, God willing. The most important thing is that our residents are invited to dialogue first,” Made concluded.