Uproar Over 8 Sacks of Medical Waste Dumped on Denpasar-Gilimanuk Roadside
Residents of Sumber Sari Village, Melaya Subdistrict, Jembrana Regency, Bali, were shocked by the discovery of hazardous and toxic waste (B3) along the Denpasar-Gilimanuk roadside on Wednesday (1/4/2026). The medical waste, consisting of medicine bottles and syringes, was found scattered in eight sacks.
The hazardous waste was first discovered by residents north of Pura Dalem Sumbersari. The find was immediately reported to village officials and forwarded to the police and relevant agencies.
“It was found along the Denpasar-Gilimanuk roadside. After it was found, I asked the TPS 3R officers to transport the waste. I checked, and it was indeed medical waste including medicine bottles and syringes, even some needles without caps,” said the customary village head of Sumbersari, I Ketut Subanda Burangga, when confirmed by detikBali on Wednesday.
Officers from the Jembrana Police Resort, along with the Livestock, Animal Health, and Public Veterinary Division (Keswan Kesmavet) of Jembrana, conducted an identification. The result confirmed that the eight sacks contained vaccine bottles and medical equipment for livestock, particularly pigs.
The Head of the Livestock and Keswan Kesmavet Division of Jembrana, I Gusti Ngurah Putu Sugiarta, emphasised that the waste did not come from official veterinarians under the Jembrana Regency Health Department. This was evident from the medicine brands found, which had never been used by medivet officers in the subdistrict.
“All B3 waste or medicines from our veterinarians are collected and destroyed at the RPH (Slaughterhouse). Regarding this find in Melaya, none of the medicine brands match those we provide to field officers,” Sugiarta stressed.
Sugiarta warned of the significant dangers behind the improper disposal of medical waste. In addition to polluting the environment, expired vaccines could potentially trigger virus mutations or the emergence of new diseases in livestock around the location.
“If those are expired vaccines dumped carelessly, they could cause outbreaks or new diseases,” he added.
The police are now hunting for the individuals who dumped the eight sacks of B3 waste. A police line has been set up at the village waste sorting site where the waste was temporarily secured.
The Head of Criminal Investigation at Jembrana Police Resort, AKP I Gede Alit Darmana, stated that they have secured the evidence at the Jembrana Police Resort for further investigation.
“The identification team has been deployed. This is a serious violation under Law No. 32 of 2009 on Environmental Protection. Those who dump B3 waste carelessly can be sentenced to three years in prison,” said Alit Darmana.
He also urged all parties, including farmers and medicine distributors, to manage medical waste according to applicable procedures. “We will try to uncover who dumped this waste carelessly to prevent further environmental pollution,” he concluded.