KLH prepares sanctions for regions that ignore waste management
JAKARTA - The Ministry of Environment (KLH) is preparing sanctions for areas that ignore waste management and do not regulate the practice of dumping waste in open areas without processing or open dumping.
"The central government has the authority to impose sanctions. Since 2018, norms and targets that must be observed within a certain period of time have been established. If regional heads do not carry out their obligations in accordance with the law, sanctions will be given, because Indonesia is a state of law and everyone must obey the rules," said Minister of LH Hanif Faisol Nurofiq in Semper Timur Village, Cilincing, North Jakarta, Friday, April 24, reported by ANTARA.
The Minister of LH emphasized that the central government had issued instructions that the local government (Pemda) would no longer send organic waste to the Final Processing Site (TPA) and must be processed or completed in their respective districts/cities.
"Old practices (including open dumping) can no longer be tolerated. At this time, the contribution of waste to the Bantargebang landfill reaches around 8,000 tons per day, which comes from various areas in Jakarta. This condition is a shared responsibility, both heads of departments and mayors," said Minister of LH Hanif.
Therefore, he continued, changes in waste management are needed through two main transformations, namely technological transformation and managerial transformation. KLH continues to encourage each region to immediately formulate concrete and systematic steps in waste management.
"Monitoring systems down to the RT/RW level need to be built to know in detail the daily waste volume and which areas are still weak in management. The government stipulates that by August 2026, waste management must begin to change. After that, inorganic waste or residues can be disposed of at the Bantargebang landfill, while organic waste must be resolved at the level of each city," said Minister of LH Hanif.
He understands that waste management is not simple, given that the large capacity for processing organic waste requires adequate infrastructure, while facilities such as the Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle Waste Treatment Center (TPS3R) that currently exist are considered insufficient.
"Therefore, more detailed and data-based planning is needed. Each region is asked to have clear targets, concrete actions, and achievement indicators. Without targets, the direction of policy will not be clear," said the Minister of LH.