Press Release
Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia
Jakarta, December 19, 2025—The closure of the Cipeucang Landfill has triggered a crisis of mounting trash on the streets of South Tangerang. This incident reflects the government’s failure to implement systematic, comprehensive, and sustainable waste management. WALHI urges the government to immediately establish a Zero Waste policy that mandates source reduction, producer responsibility through the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme, and product redesign to minimize waste. The closure of the Cipeucang Landfill must serve as a catalyst for a complete overhaul of waste management policies in Indonesia.
Until now, the Cipeucang Landfill has only been able to accommodate 300–400 metric tons of waste per day, while the city of South Tangerang generates approximately 1,000 metric tons daily. As a result, since December 10, 2025, mountains of waste have been piling up on various streets, including in front of the Cimanggis Market in Ciputat, despite collection efforts. This situation is not merely a technical issue, but rather the result of the government’s failure to anticipate the surge in waste volume through data-driven policies and long-term planning.
Wahyu Eka Styawan, Manager of WALHI’s Just Urban Campaign, assesses that the closure of the Cipeucang Landfill has violated the mandate of Law No. 18 of 2008, which requires systematic waste management—including a ban on open dumping and a mandate for source reduction. In this case, the government has failed to set waste reduction targets because it has not implemented waste reduction policies from the source to the end of the waste stream.
WALHI believes that this issue should not be the sole responsibility of the South Tangerang City Government, but also of the Ministry of Environment, which has so far failed to promote strategic policies and has instead focused on superficial solutions such as PSEL, WtE, or RDF—solutions that are expensive and do not reduce waste generation. Long-term solutions must focus on reducing waste at the source, not merely disposing of it downstream.
“The government must enforce policies based on the Zero Waste City concept, which emphasizes reduction at the source, reuse systems, and producer responsibility through EPR schemes, including product redesign to minimize waste,” explained Wahyu
Therefore, WALHI urges the government—specifically the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLH)—to immediately establish a Zero Waste City policy, complete with a roadmap linking national and regional policies. In addition, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry must establish binding regulations for the EPR scheme to ensure that producers bear absolute responsibility. Without this paradigm shift, crises such as the closure of the Cipeucang landfill will continue to recur, as has happened at the Piyungan landfill in Yogyakarta. Neglecting waste management from source to disposal is not only a violation of regulations but also a violation of the human rights of citizens who are now living surrounded by trash and harmful environmental impacts.
Contact Person:
Wahyu Eka Styawan
Manager of WALHI’s Just Urban Campaign
[email protected]
+628115501980