TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsNGOs lambast military's waste management role as overreach
The TNI's increasing involvement in national waste management efforts is another example of military overreach in civilian affairs and risks potential conflicts of interest in commercial waste projects, watchdogs say.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Waste pickers look for recycle, reusable and resaleable trash on April 17, 2026, at the Suwung Landfill in Denpasar, Bali. (AFP/Sonny Tumbelaka)
N
onprofit advocacy and monitoring groups have criticized the increasing involvement of the Indonesian Military (TNI) in managing the country’s waste as overreach, especially in a field that requires good environmental governance, as many cities nationwide grapple with mounting waste problems.
In separate meetings with the governors of West Java and Bali, Army chief of staff Gen. Maruli Simanjuntak recently said the TNI would be supporting the government’s push for accelerated action to solve the two provinces' waste problem.
At a meeting with West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi earlier this month, Maruli said the Army would participate in creating a sustainable waste solution. He specified that its involvement would be related to the development of technologies for turning waste into fuel, which had been planned for several overloaded landfills in the province, such as Bantar Gebang and Sumur Batu in Bekasi, Galuga in Bogor and Sarimukti in West Bandung.
Maruli added that the waste-to-energy (WtE) initiative could generate economic value and drive energy security while reducing waste.
“The waste management crisis is an issue that we must tackle together. The Army stands ready to back initiatives from local administrations through collaborative, innovative and sustainable approaches,” he said in a statement.
Late last month, Maruli met with Bali Governor I Wayan Koster to inspect locations in Denpasar for upcoming projects to construct a pyrolysis plant and a WtE plant. He also said the TNI would support waste collection and management in the island province.
Read also: Bali drowning in trash after landfill closed
