Sarimukti Landfill Nears Capacity, Faces Critical Shortage of Equipment

The Sarimukti landfill in West Bandung Regency is nearing its operational limit, with projections indicating it will be full by October 2026. This critical situation stems from a shortage of waste compacting equipment and a consistently high volume of incoming waste.

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The capacity of Sarimukti landfill can only last until October 2026, as stated by the Governor.

Arief Perdana, head of the Regional Waste Management Unit for the West Java Environmental Agency, stated that current capacity is only sufficient for about six more months. The planned expansion zone, covering 6.3 hectares, was designed to hold over 2 million tons of waste but is filling up faster than anticipated due to suboptimal landfill formation and compaction processes.

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The equipment in the field is lacking. We don't have compactor tools; the two units we have are broken. Other equipment is also limited. Many repaired machines only run for a short while before breaking down again.

"The equipment in the field is lacking. We don't have compactor tools; the two units we have are broken. Other equipment is also limited. Many repaired machines only run for a short while before breaking down again," Arief explained. Compounding the issue, waste volume regularly exceeds the target of 1,400 tons per day, often reaching 1,700 tons daily.

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Waste from its source cannot be contained. We aim for 1,400 tons, but in reality, it can reach 1,700 tons per day.

Visually, the landfill appears nearly full, despite calculations showing only 30-40% capacity used. This is attributed to the inefficient compaction. The West Java Provincial Government is considering measures such as reactivating previously deactivated zones 3 and 4, but these plans are contingent on available funding.

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Visually, the condition of zone 5 is already almost full. Although numerically, it's only about 30 to 40 percent full, due to the factor of suboptimal compaction, visually it looks like 90 percent full.