West Java Administration Considers Reactivating Old Zones Amid Sarimukti Landfill Crisis, Needs Rp24 Billion

The West Java provincial government is considering reactivating zones 3 and 4 of the Sarimukti landfill in West Bandung Regency, West Java. This option has emerged after the expansion area, Zone 5, became critical and is now estimated to only be capable of accommodating waste from Greater Bandung until this coming October. “That’s right, we are considering reactivating zones 3 and 4; it is the most rational option when Zone 5 is full,” said Arief Perdana, Head of the Regional TPA/TPST Waste Management UPTD at the West Java Provincial Environmental Agency, when contacted on Friday. Zones 3 and 4 had actually already been closed because they could no longer accommodate waste. Arief stated that the plan to reactivate these zones had actually been under discussion since 2025. However, the plan has been hindered by budget limitations for reorganising the zones so they can receive waste again. The estimated budget requirement to reopen the two old zones is around Rp24 billion. “It was actually discussed last year, but the budget was not available yet. It is quite substantial, requiring around Rp24 billion to reactivate zones 3 and 4,” said Arief. The expansion zone was originally prepared to accommodate 2 million tonnes of waste over a two-year usage period. In reality, based on the management’s current visual reports, the zone is already nearly full despite having only been operational for one year since May 2025. “Based on calculations, this Zone 5 can only hold out until October 2026, and this is already known by Mr. KDM (the Governor of West Java),” Arief added.