Waste Landslide at Bantargebang Claims Lives, Stern Warning for Jakarta Provincial Government

BEKASI — Indonesia’s Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq has characterised the waste pile collapse at the Bantargebang integrated waste processing facility (TPST) in Bekasi as a stern warning that the Jakarta provincial government must urgently overhaul its waste management system.

The incident claimed five lives.

“Waste management using the open dumping method threatens the lives of residents and workers. This is a stern warning for the Jakarta provincial government,” said Hanif in a statement on Monday, 9 March 2026.

Beyond the immediate death toll, the collapse poses a risk of secondary landslides and large-scale environmental contamination.

Hanif described the collapse of a waste pile approximately 50 metres high in Zone IV of the Bantargebang facility as tangible evidence of systemic failure in Jakarta’s waste management. “This is the ‘tip of the iceberg’ regarding Jakarta’s waste management failures, which now holds a critical burden of 80 million tonnes of waste accumulated over 37 years,” Hanif said.

The situation can no longer be tolerated given the risks posed not only to human safety but also to the environment.

Hanif also referenced the long history of incidents at Bantargebang that have previously claimed lives. Historical records document a 2003 landslide that buried residential areas, and the 2006 collapse of Zone 3 that killed several waste pickers. Now, in March 2026, the waste pile has collapsed again and claimed lives.

“This pattern of recurring incidents proves there is a fatal risk from the Bantargebang facility being dangerously overloaded,” Hanif said.

Given the repeated nature of these events and the risks they pose to human safety, Hanif stressed that those found negligent would face legal consequences. Legal action will be based on Law No. 32 of 2009 concerning Environmental Protection and Management.