Zulhas: If the Waste Problem Isn't Resolved by 2028, Feel Free to Protest Me

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan has invited the public to protest him if the waste problems in emergency areas, including Bantargebang, are not resolved in line with the government’s targets by May 2028.

He made this statement while attending the declaration of the waste sorting movement and the launch of Jakarta’s 499th Anniversary celebrations in the Jalan H.R. Rasuna Said area on Sunday (10/5/2026).

“If friends don’t finish it, then you can protest me in May 2028,” Zulkifli said during his speech.

Zulkifli stated that the government is currently targeting the resolution of waste issues in 71 cities grouped into 22 agglomeration areas deemed to be in a waste emergency condition.

“In 2027, the target is 50 percent, then by May 2028, including Bantargebang, insyaallah we will resolve it,” he said.

He mentioned that Bantargebang is one of the priority locations to be handled using waste-to-energy technology.

“For Bantargebang, we will resolve it through waste-to-energy, technology that already exists in the world, incinerators, insyaallah it will be completed in 2028,” he said.

According to him, Indonesia will not become an advanced country if waste management problems continue to occur.

“The President is truly concerned; it’s impossible for us to become an advanced and great nation if we can’t even manage waste,” he revealed.

The politician, familiarly known as Zulhas, also highlighted the slow development of waste processing facilities due to the complicated permitting process.

“Two of them, one can’t proceed, the other sometimes goes ahead sometimes not, on-off. That’s 11 years,” he said.

According to him, previously, entrepreneurs had to obtain permits from local governments to several ministries before waste processing projects could proceed.