Not Only Sanctions, Palembang Now Gives Rewards for Reporting Waste Violators

PALEMBANG - The habit of throwing garbage indiscriminately is still a challenge in many cities in Indonesia. In addition to damaging the environment, this behavior also contributes to flooding, pollution, and declining quality of life for the community.

Therefore, various approaches have begun to be implemented by local governments, ranging from education to more stringent enforcement of rules.

In Palembang, the city government took a different step by preparing incentives for residents who actively maintain environmental cleanliness. The Mayor of Ratu Dewa stated that the public who reported the act of dumping garbage carelessly would receive special rewards.

"We started this program on May 15, 2026," said Ratu Dewa, as quoted by ANTARA.

This policy is part of efforts to increase citizen discipline and strengthen the enforcement of rules that have been considered not optimal.

In addition to incentives, the city government will also impose strict sanctions for violators. Residents who are caught throwing garbage carelessly will be subject to an administrative fine of Rp500,000.

"We have regulations since 2015 and 2020, but the implementation in the field has not been optimal. Starting mid-May, we will really enforce this rule," he said.

To ensure the implementation of the policy is effective, the sanction mechanism has been consulted with a number of related institutions, including the Regional Financial and Asset Management Agency (BPKAD), the Financial Supervisory Agency (BPK), and the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP).

Not only fines, social sanctions are also prepared for violators. They can be required to clean public facilities such as places of worship or paint public areas, including sidewalks.

Meanwhile, enforcement of the rules on the ground will be strengthened by the Satuan Polisi Pamong Praja (Satpol PP) through special vehicles to hold a trial for minor criminal offenses (tipiring) directly at the location of the violation. This is expected to accelerate the enforcement process and provide a deterrent effect for violators.