Waste Landslide Accountability: Suspects to Be Named Soon at Bantargebang Facility
JAKARTA — The collapse of waste at the Bantargebang waste treatment facility (TPST) has claimed the lives of 13 people, of whom seven have died and six survived. The incident is currently under investigation, with authorities indicating that suspects will be named shortly to bear responsibility for the waste avalanche.
The landslide has resulted in seven deaths. Accordingly, officials have emphasised that parties must be held accountable for the incident. According to legal authorities, this aligns with provisions in Law No. 32 of 2009 on Environmental Protection and Management, and Law No. 18 of 2008 on Waste Management, which establish legal liability for facility operators.
“We will accelerate the investigation process. Hopefully within the coming weeks, suspects will be named,” said an official at Pasar Kramat Jati on Wednesday, 11 March 2026.
In response to the incident, the Jakarta Provincial Legislative Council has established a Special Committee (Pansus) on Waste Management to comprehensively review Jakarta’s waste management policies and governance. “The Jakarta Provincial Legislative Council has formed the Special Committee on Jakarta Waste Management to conduct a thorough evaluation of the capital’s waste management policies, systems, and strategic direction,” said Council Member Raden Gusti Arief in an official statement.
The special committee will conduct a comprehensive audit of Jakarta’s waste management system, including re-examining the city’s dependence on the Bantargebang facility. Additionally, the committee will accelerate the adoption of modern waste processing technologies and ensure safety protections for workers, waste pickers, and residents living near waste disposal sites.
The committee will also develop a waste reduction roadmap, spanning from source-level management through to final processing. Arief believes that Jakarta has delayed major waste management solutions for too long, relying instead on temporary measures.
“Jakarta has delayed major solutions for too long and has only applied piecemeal approaches to the waste problem,” he said.