Greater Jakarta’s waste crisis sees 14,000 tonnes of daily garbage overwhelm landfills, sparking health fears and government action.
JAKARTA: Garbage-choked streets and the threat of trash avalanches haunt the world’s most populous metropolitan area.
Greater Jakarta, home to 42 million people, produces an estimated 14,000 tonnes of waste daily, overwhelming its approximately eight landfill sites which are now all close to or entirely full.
At a traditional market, vendor Nurhasanah said the piles of rubbish by her stall were ruining her business. “The smell is awful, very pungent. It is also unpleasant to look at. It looks filthy,” she told AFP.
Experts cite population growth, higher consumption and a chronic lack of waste sorting as key drivers of the crisis. The massive Bantar Gebang landfill, one of the world’s largest, already holds around 55 million tonnes of trash and is reportedly overcapacity.
In South Tangerang, pedestrians gagged and swatted flies on littered streets. “I’m disappointed. We, as civilians, pay taxes, right? So why is the government like this?” said motorbike taxi driver Muhammad Arsil, 34.
The local landfill there only holds 400 tonnes, far below the district’s daily production of 1,100 tonnes. Another resident, Delfa Desabriyan, 19, said the constant illegal dumping was off-putting. “The smell is just off-putting,” she said.
President Prabowo Subianto has warned that almost all of Indonesia’s landfills will be full by 2028. The practice of open dumping and burning waste remains common, releasing hazardous pollutants.
Overcapacity poses severe risks, as seen in a 2022 landslide at the Cipayung landfill in West Java. “If the trash keeps piling up higher, the garbage from the top will slide down again,” resident Muhammad Rizal told AFP.
A 2005 garbage avalanche at another West Java landfill killed 143 people. The government now plans to permanently close several overloaded sites, including those in South Tangerang and Cipayung.
It is promoting a RM16.5 billion investment in 34 waste-to-energy plants within two years. “This is a substantial investment, almost USD 3.5 billion,” Prabowo said last week.
Environmentalists argue this does not address the root cause. “This is a complex issue, a mix of poor awareness, policy, and a kind of inconsistency in how waste management is implemented,” said Wahyu Eka Styawan of WALHI.
He criticised a system still based on a collect-transport-dispose model without prioritising reduction. Expert Nur Azizah said failed public education and lax law enforcement were also to blame. “The problem lies in the consumption pattern, so what we need to fix is the way we consume,” she said.
Jakarta’s environmental agency did not respond to a request for comment.
The Sun Malaysia
