During a visit to a landfill in Pekanbaru, Riau, on Saturday, Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq said that he had sent a letter to the leaders of 306 regions still engaging in open dumping practices at landfills.
He said his ministry is ready to support the effort to improve waste management in various regions, considering the regional governments have limited budgets.
"We must design progressive policies together. We must build mutual cooperation. At least within the next two or three years, this waste problem must be solved," Nurofiq said.
He emphasized that he would take legal action against any parties that operate illegal landfills since they contribute to environmental pollution.
The recent assessment of 306 landfills in Indonesia revealed that many of them still apply open dumping instead of controlled methods.
In 2023, waste generation reached 38.4 million tons, according to the National Waste Management Information System. However, only 61.62 percent of the waste was properly managed.
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Translator: Prisca Triferna, Raka Adji
Editor: Anton Santoso
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