BALINEWSID.COM, DENPASAR – Long lines of garbage trucks continued to build up at the Suwung Regional Landfill (TPA Suwung) in South Denpasar on Friday (April 3, 2026), marking the third day since the site stopped accepting organic waste.

Despite the policy taking effect on April 1, a number of trucks were still attempting to enter the landfill. Officers enforced strict inspections on every load entering the facility.

Dozens of trucks were seen queuing as personnel from the Bali Provincial Environment and Forestry Agency’s Waste Management Unit (UPT DKLH) checked each vehicle one by one. Both accepted and rejected trucks were issued official notices following inspection.

Head of the UPT Waste Management Unit, I Putu Agus Juliartawan, emphasized that no tolerance would be given to trucks carrying organic waste.

“If we find organic waste, we immediately ask them to turn back,” he said at the Suwung landfill.

The policy has drawn complaints from several drivers. Ferdy, a driver from the Banjar Brawa community-based waste management group in Canggu, Badung, said his load had already been sorted before being transported.

“Even though it was sorted, there were still small amounts like orange peels and bones, and we were still told to go back,” he said.

Juliartawan reiterated that trucks failing to meet the requirements have no option but to return to the source for re-sorting. He added that inspections would continue with officers rotating every two hours.

At the site, dozens of DKLH personnel have been deployed since morning, supported by joint security forces from the police, military, and public order agency (Satpol PP) to maintain order and ensure the policy is properly enforced.

Meanwhile, Bali Environment and Forestry Agency Head I Made Dwi Arbani gave a brief response when approached, stating that drivers should already understand the obligation to sort waste before transporting it to the landfill.

“They should already know,” he said.

Previously, the Bali Provincial Government, under Governor Wayan Koster, confirmed that the phased closure of Suwung landfill would proceed as scheduled. The process began with halting the acceptance of organic waste on March 31, 2026, and since April 1, the landfill has only accepted residual waste.

The government has set a transition period until August 31, 2026, before a full closure is implemented. The policy is part of Bali’s broader waste management transformation, which emphasizes processing waste at its source.

As a long-term solution, the provincial government is preparing to build a Waste-to-Energy (PSEL) facility on a six-hectare site owned by PT Pelindo. The facility is designed to process up to 1,200 tons of waste per day from Denpasar and Badung.

Construction is scheduled to begin in June 2026 and is targeted for completion by the end of 2027. The plant is expected to start operations in early 2028, with Zhejiang Weiming Environment Protection Co., Ltd. as the operator.