Indonesia escalates ‘war on waste’ with criminal probe into Jakarta landfill disaster
Indonesian authorities have launched criminal investigations into former environmental agency officials following a deadly landfill collapse at Bantargebang, which killed seven workers in March 2026. The probe is part of a broader 'war on waste' declared by President Prabowo Subianto, who aims to tackle the country's severe waste crisis by 2029. Investigations also extend to Bali over pollution from the Suwung landfill, as the government pushes controversial waste-to-energy projects. The move marks a significant escalation in holding public officials accountable for environmental mismanagement.
- ▪Seven sanitation workers were killed and six injured in a garbage landslide at the Bantargebang landfill near Jakarta on March 8, 2026.
- ▪Asep Kuswanto, former head of Jakarta’s Environmental Agency, was charged under Indonesia’s 2008 environmental law, facing up to five years in prison and a fine of 15 billion rupiah.
- ▪President Prabowo Subianto declared a 'war on waste' in February 2026, aiming to eliminate garbage pollution across Indonesia by 2029.
- ▪Indonesia plans to build 33 waste-to-energy plants through a new state-owned company, PT Daya Energi Bersih Nusantara, with an estimated cost of 91 trillion rupiah ($5.3 billion).
- ▪The environment ministry found Bantargebang landfill failed to meet required safety and environmental standards, leading to the criminal investigation.
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On March 8, seven sanitation workers were killed at Southeast Asia’s largest landfill, the Bantargebang dump site east of Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital city.The country’s environment minister at the time, Hanif Faisol Nurofiq, told Mongabay that criminal charges against a former environment agency lead for the capital could be followed by charges against other civil servants.The criminal investigations into the former environment Jakarta and also in Bali were announced two months after President Prabowo Subianto announced a “war on waste” amid revived plans to build incinerators capable of turning millions of tons of household waste into electricity.See All Key Ideas (function($) { $(document).ready(function() { const bulletPoints = $('.bulletpoints'); const toggle =…
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