Waste Handling of Bantar Gebang Landfill Is Being Held by the Government, Targeted to Be Free of Open Dumping in 2027

JAKARTA - Deputy Coordinating Minister for Food and Agriculture Hanif Faisol Nurofiq said that the waste problem at the Bantar Gebang landfill, Bekasi, was one of the major agendas that were in coordination with the Coordinating Ministry for Food and Agriculture.

The government targets the completion of the Bantar Gebang landfill by 2027 by closing the practice of open dumping through the implementation of a landfill control system.

Hanif assessed that handling Bantar Gebang was important because Jakarta's waste problem had a wide impact on waste management nationally.

According to him, the government is currently encouraging the strengthening of waste management from upstream to downstream. One indicator is seen from the reduction in the number of garbage trucks entering Bantar Gebang.

"The first time we came, there were almost 1,200 trucks per day, now it has been relatively reduced, even the number has been reduced, it may be close to 600 or 700 trucks per day," said Hanif in his statement, Saturday, August 8, 2026.

The reduction in load is in line with the strengthening of waste processing facilities in Jakarta, including the operation of Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF).

Hanif said that some landfill areas in Bantar Gebang were starting to be handled using a membrane system as part of landfill control.

The use of membranes can help reduce the potential environmental impact of waste dumps. The central government encourages the implementation of landfill control to be expanded to all areas that still use the open dumping system.

"In our law we can only control landfills, we cannot have open dumping landfills like this," he said.

He said the government had legal instruments to force managers to comply with the provisions. Therefore, the Jakarta Provincial Government is encouraged to immediately complete the handling of all open dumping areas in Bantar Gebang.

Hanif estimated the cost of capping or closing the landfill area was around Rp1 billion to Rp1.5 billion per hectare. With the area that must be handled, the total budget requirement is estimated at around Rp150 billion.

According to him, this figure is relatively affordable compared to the environmental impact caused if the Bantar Gebang issue is not immediately resolved. Hanif targets the capping process to be completed by 2027.

"From my perspective, this capping should be completed in 2027, because it is not too expensive," he said.

In addition to landfill management, the government also relies on RDF facilities to reduce the volume of waste entering Bantar Gebang.

Hanif said that the capacity of RDF facilities in Jakarta as a whole has almost reached 4,000 tons per day. Currently, operations are only in the range of 1,000 tons per day. RDF facilities include Rorotan, Cilincing, North Jakarta and Bantar Gebang, Bekasi.

If the processing capacity can continue to be improved, the volume of waste sent to Bantar Gebang is expected to decrease.

The government is also encouraging the development of waste processing into electricity on a commercial scale. This step is expected to be part of the long-term solution to Jakarta's waste problem.

The central government through the Coordinating Ministry for Food and Agriculture will accompany the steps of the Jakarta Provincial Government in carrying out the waste handling roadmap.

Hanif hopes that all issues, ranging from waste reduction, landfill management, development of processing facilities, to the future of scavengers, can be resolved in an integrated manner. The government assesses that Jakarta's success in solving waste problems can serve as an example and encourage improvements in waste management nationally.