Key facts
- Indonesia is implementing a new waste management plan to transition its largest landfill, Bantargebang, from open dumping to a controlled system.
- The policy aims to curb methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas, from the landfill.
- Thousands of waste pickers at Bantargebang face an uncertain future as their primary source of income is threatened.
- Bantargebang is identified as one of the world's largest landfill methane emitters.
- The transition requires changes in household waste separation practices and involves significant infrastructure costs.
Indonesia is initiating a significant shift in its waste management strategy, moving away from open dumping towards controlled landfill systems at sites like Bantargebang, the nation's largest. This transition, set to begin August 1, is driven by the urgent need to reduce methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas contributing significantly to global warming. Bantargebang, which has become a massive mountain of garbage reaching 60 meters high and receiving 7,500 tons of waste daily, has been identified as one of the world's leading landfill methane emitters.
The policy change requires Indonesian households to separate organic waste and recyclables, a practice many are unfamiliar with on a large scale. This move directly impacts the livelihoods of thousands of waste pickers, like Nur Wencih, who have relied on scavenging the open dumps for decades to earn a living. While officials acknowledge the economic benefits the landfill provides to the local community, they emphasize the dangers and environmental hazards associated with open dumping, including a recent collapse that killed seven people.
The government aims to improve conditions for waste pickers by eventually creating safer, formal jobs in recycling and composting sectors. The transition involves covering parts of the landfill and potentially investing in new infrastructure like refuse-derived fuel plants, with the estimated cost for covering the remaining disposal area reaching 200 billion rupiah ($12 million). The initiative is part of a broader national plan to shut down open-dumping operations at 343 of Indonesia's 550 disposal sites.