A total of 343 open dumping landfills across various regions in Indonesia are slated for closure, including the Piyungan landfill in the Special Region of Yogyakarta.
This move is not just a technical waste management issue; it reflects a paradigm shift in environmental governance that requires systemic readiness from local governments and collective awareness from the public.
UGM Chemical Engineering lecturer and environmental management observer Professor Wiratni Budhijanto said that closing open dumping landfills is a logical consequence of the current conditions, which have long exceeded their designed capacity.
According to Professor Budhijanto, two types of waste disposal systems are generally used nationwide: open dumping and sanitary landfills.
In the open dumping system, waste is piled up without further treatment, whereas sanitary landfill systems require each layer of waste to be covered with soil to enhance decomposition and reduce environmental impact.
Ideally, landfills across the country should implement the sanitary landfill system, but that’s often not the case.
“Because waste keeps coming in, the government can’t wait until the soil is available or can be purchased. As a result, landfills that should be sanitary landfills end up functioning as open dumps. That’s clearly not acceptable,” the professor explained.
Besides worsening odor and aesthetics, the open dumping system slows the decomposition process, creating “mountains of trash” that never disappear. The Piyungan landfill itself has long shown critical warning signs.
Beyond having a volume far beyond its design capacity, the growing proximity of residential areas to the landfill increases social and health risks. The decision to close the landfill stems from urgent technical, ecological, and social considerations.
“Honestly, Piyungan has been full for five or ten years already. From a design, environmental, and social standpoint, it’s no longer viable,” she emphasized.
However, behind the urgency of these closures, Professor Budhijanto sees a major opportunity to shift public thinking about waste. For years, the existence of landfills has enabled people’s careless habits of throwing waste away without much thought.
“When landfills are closed, people will start thinking. Disposing of waste becomes harder, and we start reflecting. Don’t let food go to waste, reduce packaging, and bring your own tumbler. It’s educational,” she said.
The closure of open dumping landfills is expected to encourage people to start sorting compost organic waste at home and become more mindful about daily consumption.
On the government’s side, this policy tests the readiness of local administrations to adopt decentralized waste management systems, in which each regency or city is responsible for handling its own waste. She likened the situation to sending a baby out onto a highway.
“If regencies and cities aren’t ready and are suddenly thrown into it, they’ll panic. But I see that every region is working hard to respond to this,” Professor Budhijanto noted.
Ideally, decentralization should be implemented gradually, accompanied by technical support and guidance from provincial or national authorities.
Regarding awareness campaigns and education efforts, she stated that the government has indeed been trying various approaches, including deploying facilitators at the village level to educate residents about household waste management.
However, the main challenge is not a lack of information but resistance to changing habits.
“People still see waste as not their responsibility. We feel entitled to be served but not obligated to reduce. Changing this mindset is not easy,” she said.
That’s why she believes no policy can succeed without a fundamental shift in public behavior.
As part of a large-scale public education effort, UGM and several other universities in Indonesia are currently designing a student community service program (KKN) focused on waste education. Students will go directly into communities to carry out house-to-house educational outreach with a persuasive approach.
“All campuses will send KKN students to educate households. This way, people can better understand how much waste they generate and how to reduce it,” she said.
Professor Budhijanto calls on the public and local governments to treat the closure of open dumping sites as a turning point for improving systems and culture.
“If the public refuses to change, no government policy, no matter how good, will succeed. Don’t just blame the smell or the waste stations without changing our own habits. Let’s reflect. Are we already zero waste?” Professor Budhijanto concluded.
Author: Rahma Khoirunnisa
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Photograph: Katadata