Bantargebang Garbage Landslide Kills 4 People, Minister of LH Says It Is a Form of Failure to Manage Jakarta Garbage 

JAKARTA - A landslide of garbage mounds about 50 meters high in Zone IV of the Bantargebang Integrated Waste Processing Center (TPST), Bekasi City, killed four people on Sunday, March 8 at around 14.30 WIB.

This incident triggered the central government's spotlight on the waste management system in Jakarta which was considered problematic.

The Minister of Environment and Head of the Environment Control Agency (KLH/BPLH) Hanif Faisol Nurofiq called the tragedy a serious warning for the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government to immediately improve the waste management system.

According to Hanif, the open dumping method that is still used at the location can no longer be maintained because it has the potential to endanger the safety of residents and officers.

"This incident should not have happened if the management was carried out according to the rules. TPST Bantar Gebang must be a lesson for all of us to immediately improve, for the safety of human life and environmental sustainability," said Hanif, Monday, March 9.

The Ministry of Environment and Energy is now starting a thorough investigation into the incident. Law enforcement is also being prepared to ensure that there are no more negligence in waste management that results in human casualties.

Hanif assessed that the current condition of the Bantargebang TPST reflects the big problem in the capital's waste management system. For more than three decades, the area has accommodated an increasing waste load.

Minister Hanif emphasized that Bantargebang is a 'tipping point' for the failure of Jakarta's waste management, which now has a critical load of 80 million tons of waste for 37 years.

The use of the open dumping method at the Bantargebang TPST is also considered not in line with Law Number 18 of 2008 concerning Waste Management. The system is considered no longer able to reduce the risk of danger to the surrounding community.

The tragedy in Bantargebang is not the first. A number of similar incidents have been recorded in the history of waste management in the area.

In 2003, a garbage landslide hit a residential area. Three years later, the collapse of Zone 3 of the Bantargebang TPST also claimed lives and buried dozens of scavengers.

The latest incident occurred in January 2026 when the runway in the TPST area collapsed and dragged three garbage trucks to the riverbed. The series of incidents showed a serious risk due to the increasing load of garbage at the location.

The government stated that it would take action against those responsible if negligence was found in the management of the facility. Law enforcement will refer to Law Number 32 of 2009 concerning Environmental Protection and Management.

The criminal threat for violations that cause death can be a prison sentence of 5 to 10 years and a fine of between Rp5 billion to Rp10 billion.

KLH/BPLH previously had also warned of the high risk of waste management in a number of locations. On March 2, 2026, the Deputy for Environmental Law Enforcement had issued a Notification of the Commencement of Investigation (SPDP) against several waste management facilities that were considered risky, including the Bantargebang TPST.

Currently, the government is prioritizing the process of evacuating victims and at the same time starting a thorough investigation into the landslide incident.

As a long-term step, TPST Bantargebang is planned to be focused on handling inorganic waste. Strengthening the waste sorting system from the source and optimizing the Rorotan Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) facility are also prepared to increase the capacity of Jakarta waste processing to 8,000 tons per day.

It is known from the provisional data that the landslide of garbage in the Bantargebang TPST caused four residents to die, four dump truck drivers were injured, and five others were still being searched.