Observer encourages the buffer area to imitate Jakarta to run the Pilah-Angkut-Olah Sampah movement. 

JAKARTA - Urban observer Yayat Supriyatna asked buffer cities in the Jabodetabek area to follow the steps of the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government in changing the waste management system.

According to him, the cessation of the practice of open dumping in TPST Bantargebang starting August 1 must be a momentum for changes in waste management in the metropolitan area.

Yayat assessed that the main problem of the buffer area was not only the capacity of the final processing place (TPA), but also the weakness of the infrastructure and the sampling service system. Therefore, DKI's new approach, which changes the transport-disposal pattern into sorting-transport-processing, is considered worthy of reference.

"The buffer city in Jabodetabek needs to imitate the steps of the DKI Provincial Government in carrying out waste processing breakthroughs. Not all buffer areas have imitated the same movement. It is still weak in the management of landfills and weak in the capacity of infrastructure services," said Yayat when contacted, Friday, July 31.

Yayat assessed that the policy to stop open dumping in Bantargebang was the right step because the practice of open dumping had only accumulated waste without adding value.

"Actually, the policy to stop open dumping is good, it's been a long time. So, with open dumping it's just building a garbage mountain, collecting waste, and not creating added value," said Yayat.

According to Yayat, waste management must be directed so that it is no longer seen as a burden, but as a resource that has economic value. One way is through the construction of waste processing facilities into energy (waste to energy).

"Then, if there is a PLES (waste energy power plant) later, it can generate economic added value. So waste is not just waste, but part of the waste is converted into energy. That can imitate the pattern of Singapore which has succeeded in processing waste into energy for power plants," he explained.

However, he reminded that infrastructure development alone is not enough. The success of the new system depends heavily on sorting waste from its source and changing the pattern of waste collection services.

"So, in my opinion, the sorting of waste is actually, how much does it give a boost to the community, if the ecosystem of the service has not changed. People just want to sort," he said.

Yayat also emphasized the importance of building a community-based waste management movement. According to him, approaches such as door-to-door services and selective waste collection must provide direct benefits to residents so that community participation can grow.

"The problem of the door-to-door service approach depends on how it is empowered to the community. The breakthroughs must be a community movement, a movement from the community," said Yayat.

For Yayat, the biggest challenge in waste management in Indonesia is not only a technical problem, but also a change in people's behavior.

"So, the most interesting question of all this is that the movement becomes a cultural movement, not a structural movement. If the structural movement is like the government must continue to intervene," he explained.

He encouraged the government to combine incentives for people who actively manage waste with strict enforcement of violations.

"If necessary, later if you don't realize it, you'll make a movement with high legal sanctions so that there is a deterrent effect. And the deterrent effect gives change, or there are incentives for who is innovative, can get incentives as a form of appreciation for their creativity," he said.

It is known that the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government is currently implementing a new approach through Governor's Instruction Number 5 of 2026 concerning the Waste Sorting and Processing Movement from the Source. In line with the restriction of open dumping in TPST Bantargebang starting August 1, waste sent to Bantargebang is prioritized only for residues, while processing is carried out from the source through the optimization of all TPS 3R.

The policy is targeted to significantly reduce the volume of waste that is dumped into Bantargebang while waiting for the operation of waste processing facilities to become energy. DKI also opens a creative financing scheme through cooperation with the private sector to accelerate the construction of waste treatment infrastructure.