The Facts Behind the Viral DLH Jakarta Rubbish Truck at Tanah Kusir Cemetery

A rubbish truck in the Tanah Kusir Public Cemetery area, South Jakarta, went viral on social media after being suspected of dumping waste into the river. The Jakarta Environment Agency (DLH) has affirmed that no waste was disposed of in the river.

The rubbish truck at Tanah Kusir Cemetery was photographed by a netizen with a caption suggesting it was dumping waste into the river. From the photo taken, the rubbish truck is labelled ‘UPK Badan Air Dinas Lingkungan Hidup Provinsi DKI Jakarta’.

The rubbish truck was parked blocking one lane in the cemetery area. Meanwhile, the truck’s body was lifted towards the river.

“Is this how the Environment Agency operates? Dumping waste into the river?” the netizen wrote on social media, viewed on Thursday (26/3/2026).

The Jakarta Environment Agency provided an explanation. The Head of the Water Body Waste Handling Unit (UPSBA) of DLH DKI Jakarta, Dadang Cahya Rusdiana, explained that the activity of the dump pickup vehicle in the post is part of the official operational waste handling for water bodies, not dumping into the river.

Field investigation results show that the location in question is an official temporary storage point or emplacement belonging to UPSBA located in the Tanah Kusir Cemetery area, specifically in the Special Block.

“We need to clarify that there is no waste dumping into water bodies. The activity seen is the official temporary storage process for waste from water bodies, and all operations at that location are well-controlled with one heavy equipment unit in place and daily routine transport to the Perintis emplacement,” said Dadang.

Waste Transported by Truck

Dadang explained that the point is only a transit location for waste collected from rivers and reservoirs in the Pesanggrahan and Kebayoran Lama sub-districts. The pile of waste is then immediately transferred using a small tipper truck to the Perintis emplacement for further sorting by officers.

“After the sorting process, residual waste is transported using a large truck with the aid of heavy equipment before being sent to the Bantargebang Integrated Waste Processing Site (TPST) for further processing,” he said.

Dadang mentioned that the photo taken and uploaded to social media might be due to the viewing angle aligned with the road, making it appear as if waste was being dumped into the river.

“In fact, the activity is at a storage point managed by the Water Body Waste Handling Unit, and there is no dumping into water bodies,” he emphasised.

Reason for Temporary Waste Storage

Dadang explained the reason for temporary placement in the area below the embankment. According to him, the road access in the cemetery area is relatively narrow, so waste containers cannot be placed at the location.

“Although located near the Pesanggrahan River, all activities are carried out in the designated area and ensured not to come into contact with the water body,” he stated.

Dadang assured again that no waste was dumped into the river.

“We ensure that no waste enters the water body. There, it is also a place to collect tree pruning residues from Tanah Kusir Cemetery by the Forestry and Parks Service. The location is also equipped with segregation using HDPE floating cubes, and all management processes are carried out according to standard operating procedures,” Dadang concluded.