Sarimukti Landfill Critical, Dedi Mulyadi Instructs Greater Bandung to Take Action

Operations at the Sarimukti Final Disposal Site (TPA) in West Bandung Regency, West Java, are on the brink of collapse. The lifespan of the landfill serving the Greater Bandung area is predicted to last only until October 2026. The critical condition came to light after the West Java Provincial Government recalculated the waste capacity of the expansion area, or zone 5, which turned out to be sufficient for only six more months. Its lifespan deviates from the detailed engineering design (DED) plan, which had originally estimated it would last two years. Arief Perdana, Head of the Regional TPA/TPST Waste Management UPTD at the West Java Provincial Environmental Agency, stated that under the instruction of West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi, Bandung City, Cimahi City, Bandung Regency, and West Bandung Regency are required to maximise waste management within their own jurisdictions. ‘The Governor suggests that districts and cities undertake extra efforts. If we keep relying on Sarimukti, as proven, it will only last until October 2026. Therefore, there must be an effort to reduce waste at source,’ Arief said when contacted on Thursday. He noted that his agency has prepared steps to anticipate the filling of the Sarimukti landfill after October, including reactivating zones 3 and 4 which have been decommissioned. However, execution will depend on budget availability. ‘For the next steps, we have actually drawn up several plans. However, implementation depends on budget availability. We have shifted some budgets to focus on Sarimukti,’ he said. He urged the Greater Bandung area not to depend on disposing of waste at the already critical Sarimukti landfill. Visually, Arief said, the 6.3-hectare zone 5 is currently almost full. ‘If asked about the current condition of Sarimukti, visually it is indeed almost full. Although according to numerical calculations it might only be around 30 to 40 percent, due to sub-optimal compaction factors, visually it looks like 90 percent is filled,’ he disclosed.