Trash Piles Mount in Cakung, East Jakarta, Residents Frequently Protest

JAKARTA — A pile of garbage is piling up at a temporary disposal site (TPS) near Jalan Radjiman, Cakung, East Jakarta, on Friday 22 May 2026. From Kompas.com’s observations, the waste pile reaches around two metres in height and is being hauled away by staff from the Jakarta Environment Agency. Several lorries and heavy machinery were on standby to remove the waste accumulating in the area. Residents around the lake area also complained about the pungent odour. One resident, Wiwi, 37, said the pile-up had persisted for about three weeks. He added that waste removal there is not done on a regular basis. ‘This has been piling up for a long time, about three weeks,’ he said at the site on Friday. He did not know the cause of the pile-up. ‘Sometimes they collect once every three days, and it piles up,’ he added. ‘There are frequent protests. Besides the pile, many waste carts are parked along the roadside, which causes congestion in the evenings.’ Meanwhile, the Head of the Environmental Implementation Unit (Kasatpel) of Cakung sub-district, Encep, explained the piling-up is due to quotas for dumping at Bantargebang Integrated Waste Processing Facility (TPST Bantargebang) being restricted. ‘The backlog is because the Bantargebang dumping quota is restricted,’ Encep said. Since Friday morning, staff have been hauling waste to reduce the pile. ‘Today nine large vehicles were deployed to cut the pile. The timing cannot yet be confirmed, but we have requested further assistance from the Sudin,’ he added.