Due to Garbage Problems, Rinjani Geopark Proposes Shelter Construction on Mount Rinjani

JAKARTA - The management of the Rinjani Geopark proposes the construction of a shelter or garbage shelter as an effort to overcome the problem of garbage that pollutes the climbing route of Mount Rinjani on the island of Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB).

"We offer a shelter concept at several climbing posts, so climbers can collect garbage there," said General Manager of Rinjani Geopark, Qwadru Putro Wicaksono, when met at the Rinjani Begawe Festival in Mataram, Saturday.

Qwadru explained that the garbage shelter is intended to facilitate waste management by providing a temporary collection point for garbage brought by climbers when crossing the Rinjani mountain climbing route.

The Rinjani Geopark has explained the concept of the waste shalter to the Regional Development Planning Agency (Bappeda) of NTB Province.

According to Qwadru, the financing scheme for the construction and management of waste shelters is still in the study phase, including the possibility of applying additional levies for climbers or allocating a portion of the climbing tourism levy.

He assessed that the current climbing fee was quite large, but its management was still centralized to the central government so that it had not optimally supported waste handling in the field.

Geopark Rinjani offers the use of unmanned aircraft technology or drones to transport garbage from the collection point considering the limitations of human resources in the transport process down through the heavy terrain of the climbing route.

"The cost of climbing is quite high, but the money goes to the central government. So, how can (climbing fees) also be allocated for waste management," said Qwadru.

Furthermore, he said that the construction of waste shelters was not immediately carried out on all climbing routes. The initial phase only focuses on the busiest routes for climbers, namely Sembalun in East Lombok and Senaru in North Lombok.

The Rinjani Geopark emphasizes the importance of strengthening regulations in the form of strict sanctions and tightening the inspection of climbers' luggage when going up and down the Rinjani Mountain National Park (TNGR).

Based on the statistical report of the TNGR Office in 2025, climbing waste reached 30.35 tons and non-climbing waste was 1.19 tons. The number of climbing tourism visits was recorded at 80,214 people, while the number of non-climbing tourism visits reached 52,108 people.